First things
first: any Smurfs movie is for kids. As an adult, the tendency to
hate it will likely overwhelm your desire to like it. From a misguided
kidnapping to wasteful one-liners, this is a movie for kids to watch when
there’s nothing better on.
After seeing the
first Smurfs movie, I promised myself I wouldn’t watch the second
one. But when a friend waved the DVD in front of me, I thought, “What the
heck—it can’t be as bad as the first.” And it truly wasn’t. While I wouldn’t
recommend this movie in my sleep, I have to admit it’s miles better than its
predecessor.
For one thing,
the whole “Smurf this” and “Smurf that” was toned down (a welcome change), and
the “La La” song wasn’t overused to the point of drowning me like it was in the
first movie.
Also worth
noting is the major improvement in the performance of the evil Gargamel (Hank
Azaria). In the first movie, I felt his acting was the worst I’d seen that
year, but in this sequel, his performance was redefined. Plus, we get to see
other Smurfs involved in another rescue mission, this time to save a Smurf who
got stuck in no man’s land.
This time,
Smurfette is kidnapped by Gargamel, who wants to trick her into giving him the
secret formula to turn his new creations into real Smurfs. Since the last
movie, Gargamel has become a popular magician and has enlisted some help for
his new plan for world domination.
He’s created two
new Smurf-like creatures and wants to turn them into full Smurfs so he can
extract their “Smurfness.” Remember, Smurfette was originally created by
Gargamel himself until Papa Smurf turned her into a real Smurf. Now, Gargamel
wants to turn her back to her naughty roots.
Another welcome
change is the reduced presence of human characters, giving more room to
appreciate the animation, which was top-notch. I have to give Sony a pat on the
back for that.
The downside?
It’s still a movie about Smurfs. I still find it hard to fully like this
movie—I just can’t. But who am I to stop anyone from seeing it? There will be
people out there, who will find the animation and characters sweet and were
probably looking forward to seeing this sequel.
But for me, I will say watch at your own risk, though—I can’t vouch for it.
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