The Smurfs - two and a half stars
Rated: PG
For me, there are some childhood memories that should never be tampered with. One of them is Pitfall for the Atari; another is The Smurfs.
When I first discovered they planned on remaking the latter, I was neither excited nor angry. I had seen Yogi Bear, and, for the most part, I rather enjoyed it. So what’s the worst that could happen, I said to myself? Apparently quite a lot.
The movie starts out in Smurf Village, with all the Smurfs getting ready for the Blue Moon festival. Innocent enough. Then Gargamel (Hank Azaria) crashes the party, sending all the Smurfs running into the forest where a handful of them get separated from the others. They are: Papa (Jonathan Winters), Gutsy (Alan Cumming), Smurfette (Katy Perry), Clumsy (Anton Yelchin) and Grouchy (George Lopez). Call me crazy but I don’t remember any Smurf ever being Hispanic. To escape Gargamel, Papa opens a portal that leads to New York City. This is problem number one. Why couldn’t they leave the Smurfs in Smurf Village? Why did they feel the need to modernize it? What was wrong with the way it was?
I began to wonder half way through if director Raja Gosnell ever actually saw the original cartoons. If he had, he would have known that making them CGI was a bad idea. There’s something off-putting about these computerized Smurfs. They look strangely menacing, especially Papa.
I’ve seen movies where the fantasy world meets the real world (Enchanted), and don’t really see the point of this film. I’m sure the majority of adults will feel the same way. Kids on the other hand will really enjoy it. There’s enough magic and childish humor that will keep them enthralled for all 103 minutes. Too bad they have this to grow up with instead of the wonderful joys of 2-D animation.
‘Til next time! See you at the movies.
