SMURFS 2 – The Review

THE SMURFS 2 spends even less time in Smurf Village than the first one, which is a good thing since more than five minutes in fairyland would have pleased no one over the age of seven. This time the Smurfs re-unite with young marrieds Patrick and Grace Winslow (Neil Patrick Harris and Jayma Mays, both from the original) and get extra help from Patrick’s affable stepfather Victor (a new character played by Brendan Gleeson). The comically evil wizard Gargamel has created a pair of mischievous Smurf-like creatures called the Naughties that he hopes will let him harness the all-powerful, magical Smurf-essence. But when he discovers that only a real Smurf can give him what he wants, and only a secret spell that Smurfette knows can turn the Naughties into real Smurfs, Gargamel kidnaps Smurfette and brings her to Paris, where he has been winning the adoration of millions as the world¹s greatest sorcerer. It’s up to Papa, Clumsy, Grouchy, and Vanity to return to our world, reunite with the Winslows, who are vacationing there and rescue her! Will Smurfette, who has always felt different from the other Smurfs, find a new connection with the Naughties Vexy and Hackus or will the Smurfs convince her that their love for her is True Blue?

This sequel to THE SMURFS adheres so closely to the winning formula of its predecessor, I was tempted to dust off my original review of that and simply replace the words ‘New York City’ with ‘Paris’ and be done with it. SMURFS 2 is more manic and loud than its processor and throws out a lot of goofy sight gags and one-liners, many which don’t really work. It’s far less sophisticated than Pixar fare but in spite of all this, THE SMURFS is hard to resist when it’s clicking. The pitch-perfect Azaria as Gargamel howls and stomps his feet like the broad cartoon villain he is and the humor mined from the CGI cat Azeral is rich. It’s a movie for young children but there’s some nicely-shot Paris scenery to entertain bored adults. THE SMURFS 2 is fast-paced, relatively wholesome and contains a nice parallel lesson about the role of step-parents. There’s a low standard with which we brace ourselves when it comes to cheesy, uninspired movie versions of characters from our childhoods and I certainly had low expectations for THE SMURFS 2, but the end result is a surprisingly high energy romp that will appeal to the many fans of the first film. That said, if you did not like the earlier film, you will not like the sequel any better, but you’re also likely to skip this sequel and wouldn’t bother reading this review! SMURFS 2 is dedicated to the late Jonathan Winters who here reprises his loveable and final role as the voice of Papa Smurf.

3 1/2 of 5 Stars