Let's be realistic.

Good concept, poorly executed.

A Disappointing Continuation

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

the smurfs was great why did it get bad reviews the movie was so cute and I loved the Carmella and Katy Perry Smurfette what that's on the reasons. I really liked when they showed New York AND THE CUTE BATTLE SCENE WITH GarmelLe. It was really funny I like the jokes it deserves a 10 out of 10 . THE SEQUEL WAS GOOD BUT THIS IS BETTER AND I WANT TO SMURFS THE LOST VILLAGE. THE CGI IS GREAT I ADORE IT I REMMOND THIS MOVE TO ALL.

I've been knowing the Smurf characters since I was a little kid. I even have a few plushes which were purchased by my siblings many years ago. I also got to see episodes of the TV series over a decade ago just after I got cable. I never thought the characters would make it to the silver screen. Nevertheless, they did. And when I saw promotional posters of the film, I was somewhat amazed. Unlike the TV series which was in traditional animation, the Smurfs are in CGI and are in a live-action film. By turning the characters CGI, there's some noticeable differences on how their eyes look but it ain't bad anyway.What's the best thing that's applied to the film? Well here's one I have in mind. By selecting Paul Reubens to play Jokey, the filmmakers certainly corrected a flaw that was applied in the TV series. Characters should be played by the right people.

How do you criticize a movie that you knew was going to be stupid coming in? Honestly, it's a kid movie and it's not to be taken serious by anybody older than the age of six. I'm clearly not, six year old so I'm not the target audience, but I did watch the show when younger. In my opinion, it's not the worst kid's movie out there, but gees, it wasn't the best as well. I wasn't the biggest fan of the 1980's animated TV series, or The Smurfs comic book series created by the Belgian comics artist Peyo. Peyo created it when his cartoonist friend couldn't remember how to pronoun 'salt' in Dutch and found a story about a group of blue humanoids living in mushrooms interesting. I don't know if Peyo was on drugs or not, but that is so trippy idea. I watch enough episodes and read enough as a kid to know about the original works and this film are somewhat different. I'm not hating the film, but gees, it could had been made a little better. The 1980s animated TV series, did had some appeal to it, as it deal with magic and the dark arts that kids found interesting as a kid. It appeal to girls, due to their cute animation. Still, the original Smurfs was pretty dumb with it's a bleak archetypes naming and awful writing. This movie had little to no appeal for me now, personally, but I did see it with my 5 year old niece and nephew who somewhat like the film. I was disappointed, it's not only the fact, that I outgrew the Smurfs for more mature films, but also the fact that it felt that the fantasy world of the Smurfs was rip apart for a cheaper budget movie with the CGI Smurfs getting lost in live action modern day New York before Gargamel (Hank Azaria) find them. There was so many ideas that could had work with the Smurf movie, if only they kept them on their world. They could had a Lord of the Ring's type of a film with a story similar to the 1958's Johan et Pirlouit story La Flûte à six trous ("The Flute with Six Holes"). The adventure involved the' Schtroumpf' AKA the smurfs recovering a magic flute from an evil wizard. Check out the 1965's Adventures of the Smurfs to know what I'm talking about. It's rare to find. Just think of a full computer animation movie of the Smurfs, compare to this film. I would take that film over this, any day. The magic plot seem tainted for more marketing plot. By putting them in New York, it's seem that they are market as a parody to make fun of the fans of the original show, rather than paying tribute to it. Why is the Smurfs dealing with a character like Patrick Winslow (Neil Patrick Harris) whom job is it to make cosmetic item ads. I really doubt a six year old kid cares about how to make an ad. That whole sub-plot is not appealing to children. Another thing, why is there a sub-plot of Gargamel getting a job at the same beauty items ad company that Patrick works in, and it's never follow thought? It would pretty interesting to see Gargamel use Patrick to get the Smurfs, but no the sub-plot was tossed away for more potty humor. There is a lot of potty humor, and lot of cruelty to animals. I know it's a CGI cat, but could they at least, make Azreal look like a cartoon cat, than a normal cat. It's disturbing to see a realistic cat getting hurt. I found it to be a bit crude. Another crude thing is the voice acting. Half of the Smurfs don't even sound like the cartoon versions of themselves. I found George Lopez as Grouchy Smurf and Alan Cummings as Gutsy Smurf really dumb. I don't know how, a Scottish and Mexican Smurf came about, when most of the original Smurfs were Belgian. I found Katy Perry, a bit annoying as Smurfette, but I wasn't a huge fan of the original Smurfette's voice as well. It was suggested that Quentin Tarantino would play Brainy Smurf, but it didn't go through so Fred Armisen voices Brainy instead. I think the movie focus way too much on Clumsy (Anton Yelchin) to the point, that he became the annoying Jar Jar Binks of the film that get everybody else in trouble. I was imagining choking his neck most of the film. Rather than Clumsy learning something or having a character arch a, the film just gives up and gave us a hokey ending. Honestly, there wasn't any positive or moral message told in this life. I thought it was supposed to be about, once in a blue moon, one gets a glimpse of what's truly important in life--and it's not always what one might expect, but the film doesn't execute it well. Was the film about Patrick accepting his role as a father? It should had been. The message get lost with all the potty jokes, CGI 3D annoying shots, destroying Aerosmith and all the ads marketing. I felt dumber watching it. I know it's a kid's movie, but this movie felt like it was for the really dumbing children of the world. It felt old and recycle formula like other live action mixed with animation movies like 2007's Alvin and the Chipmucks, 2002's Scooby Doo and 2004's Garfield. It didn't give anything new or creative to the piece. In the end, I felt like I was choking and turning blue for watching it.

This was a risky proposition to begin with, and nothing on the screen dispelled my trepidation. I don't know whose idea it was to marry CG smurfs with the real world. It doesn't work at all. I would rather see old fashioned pencil-and-paint animated smurfs in the real world akin to 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit'. The CG smurfs look slightly creepy. They definitely don't have that childhood joy we associate with the cartoon.There are some good actors being squandered here. Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mays, and Hank Azaria all try their best. I actually like Neil and Jayma as a couple. They seem like a fun duo if they don't have to keep worrying about stepping on one of the blue midgets. And Hank Azaria has mimicked Gargamel very well. The smurf voice work was pretty fair although Katy Perry is very noticeable. It wasn't Smurfette talking. It was Katy Perry talking. She's kind of a cartoon already anyways.