Movie Review – The Smurfs
For kids only. Not even for kids-at-heart. As the accompanying adult, you will end up having had a vocabulary lesson for an hour and a half, learning the Smurf-lingo.
If you are new to Smurf-lingo, you will easily become smurf-savvy if you are able to use ‘smurf’ in place of any and all manner of nouns, verbs and adjectives, like “I think I just smurfed in my mouth”, “Son of a smurf”, “Where the smurf are we?”, “Up smurf creek without a smurfing paddle”, and the byline-like “Smurf happens”. One reviewer terms the movie “enough noise and neon to distract under eights…”.
If you are aware of the original TV series and the stuffed toys, you will allow at least the term ‘like-able’. However, no one will blame you – except the kids, of course – if you don’t feel quite as charitable after seeing the blue ones on the big screen.
Director Raja Gosnell’s 3D semi-animated film “The Smurfs” is all about the adventures of a bunch of cute Smurfs and one Smurfette.
The Smurfs is an incongruous combination of different kinds of movie. Another reviewer calls it a “celluloid version of the game ‘exquisite corpse’, where multiple people work on the same drawing without seeing what the others have drawn”. One part tries to recreate innocent magic of the characters, another tries to temper the sweetness with (somewhat poor) humour, yet another theme seems tailored for the older sections of viewers, and a fourth part consists of somewhat dull action sequences.
As an accompanying adult – be ready to put up with the kids who seem to love the blue brigade. And don’t let the kids catch you muttering, ‘I Smurfing wish I was elsewhere’.
If you are familiar with The Smurfs, attempt the Smurf Quiz