It was decided on a coin toss. The winner would take our eldest to see the new Jurassic Park film, while the loser would be off with our youngest to see the Smurfs movie.
I lost and was prepared for the worst when I saw it had a 20% Rotten Tomatoes critics rating, but Smurfs turned out to be a breezy, fun family movie with something for everyone. OK, it’s not Toy Story, but I do wonder what some critics expect from a movie aimed at young children. There are some nice comedy moments, particularly around Sound Effects Smurf, who provides funny sound effects, including bleeping out rude words.
The plot revolves around a new Smurf called No Name (James Corden), who, unlike Sound Effects Smurf, Brainy, and the others, has yet to discover what his special ability is. Smurfette (Rihanna) and Papa Smurf (John Goodman) assure No Name that he will find his power. No Name finally gets his chance to shine when Papa Smurf is kidnapped by Gargamel’s brother, Razamel, who's after the magic book Papa Smurf is hiding, which will give him ultimate power over the universe.
In a nice twist, Razamel, though, is also facing family issues in the form of his needy brother, the traditional Smurf villain, Gargamel, accompanied as ever by his trusty cat, Azrael. Azrael is just great and steals almost every scene he's in!
The plot is refreshingly simple after getting my head around the new Superman movie, and there are some really nice touches. I laughed out loud finding out where Razamel’s secret lair is! It's certainly not where you might expect. There’s also some nice comedy provided by Razamel’s assistant, Joel, who’s just left school and sees this as his big break. Unfortunately, he’s dealing with the boss from hell!
One of the most joyous sequences in the movie is when No Name and Smurfette shift between different realities while being chased by Razamel. During the chase, they move between various animation styles, including claymation and, amusingly, an 8-bit video game.
Rihanna also provides a great track for the movie in "Friend of Mine".
At just one hour and 32 minutes, Smurfs doesn't outstay its welcome. It's not a classic, but it never deserves just 20% on Rotten Tomatoes. And I certainly enjoyed the Smurfs way more than A Minecraft Movie!
Smurfs is in theaters now.
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