Film Review – Smurfs 2

Director: Raja Gosnell
Screenplay: J. David Stem, David N Weiss
Cast: Katy Perry, Neil Patrick Harris, Hanky Azaria, Jayma Mays
Genre: Animated comedy
Rating: **
Venue: Ster Kinekor Maerua Mall, Cine 4

Rating Score
* – Poor
** – Average
*** – Good
**** – Very Good
***** – Excellent

Our lovable blue tiny creatures are back again for some more adventure, fun and life lessons. This time they have to team up with their human friends to rescue Smurfette(Voiced by Katy Perry), who has been kidnapped by Gargamel (voiced by Hank Azaria) since she knows a secret spell that can turn the evil sorcerer’s newest creation ‘the Naughties into real Smurfs.
Now I have watched a number of animations, including the first Smurf movie and have realised that sometimes making a sequel to an animation may not always be a good thing. This is proven in Smurfs 2. The sequel is anything but entertaining, in fact it’s a useless excuse for a sequel. It is so lousy it makes me doubt the acting abilities of the human actors. In the first movie they all impressed me and I hoped that in the sequel they would do more than impress me but the characters failed. Instead it feels like they are sleep walking and talking throughout the entire film or like they did not rehearse well for the scenes. It is not too hard to get distracted by other things or have your mind wonder off while watching Smurfs 2. Although I am not a child, I do enjoy watching animations, however watching Smurfs 2 left me feeling lethargic. I was so bored I contemplated walking out of the cinema hall 30 minutes into the film which already felt like a lifetime. All the feelings of boredom, fatigue and depression brought so many things to mind, from wanting to walk out to wanting to scream STOP! – enough for now! I remember as a child I watched the Smurf cartoons and would be blown away after each episode because the cartoon was silly, funny, charming and whimsical. I would get lost in the world of these tiny blue creatures who battle Gargamel, give lessons on forgiveness, sharing and the importance of family. But sadly the Smurfs 2 movie is a disaster and a terrible one at that.
The Computer Generated Imagery is impressive but it is not enough to save the film, as the plot is simply an absolute waste of time. The story goes nowhere and is pathetic. The dialogue is even worse than the plot itself. What is supposed to be a lovable and charming film to be enjoyed by people of all ages is a sequel of mediocrity at its best. The writing is as lame as the actors, this is a truly dreadful film that totally degrades the first film. If you thought the first film was OK, do not bother go watch this one. Your expectations will be shattered.
The film is so lame one would be able to cook a three-course meal, knit a scarf paint one’s toe nails. Still you would not find anything humorous or interesting to focus on in the film. The only people who will find this film amusing are children under the age of five You can take your children and grandchildren to watch it. Or better, don’t waste you money taking them to the cinema. Wait until it is released on DVD, then they can watch it at home, and you don’t need to waste your time watching it too. Trust me, it is better to get egged than to watch Smurfs 2.