The Smurfs 2

I liked the Smurfs when I was a kid.  I didn't love them (I was more of a Snorks fan), but they were fun to watch.  The movie, however, was pretty hard to sit through.  And I essentially sat through it twice (being that, for the reviews, I watch the original if I haven't already seen it before watching the sequel).

These movies take everything great about the Smurfs and make it horrible.

In The Smurfs 2, Gargamel is still stuck in our world but he's a famous magician touring the globe.  He's created a couple creatures called Naughties in an attempt to duplicate the same magic that resulted in Smurfette.  He creates a portal, kidnaps Smurfette and tries various means of making her confess the last bit of magic that will turn the Naughties into Smurfs.  Papa Smurf and a ragtag crew of other Smurfs reteam with Neal Patrick Harris and hit the streets of Paris to rescue Smurfette.  Can they reach her in time?  Will Neal Patrick Harris overcome his daddy issues?  Why is there a talking duck in this movie?  Some of these questions will be answered!

The Smurfs 2 is not a good movie.  But it's fairly easy to ignore.  There are plenty of "jokes" geared toward parents.  This is fairly common in modern kids' movies.  It gives the grownups who're forced to watch the movie some vague entertainment.  For the most part, really good kids' movies don't do this.  They don't need to pander to adults.  The Smurfs 2 not only constantly engages in this pandering, but the "grownup" jokes fail completely.  Not a single chuckle to be had.

The incessant showcasing of the Sony tablet becomes a bit much.  This is a Sony Picture and they tend to only allow their film characters to use Sony products, but this was ridiculous.  At every opportunity, the Sony tablet is in your face.

Speaking of "in your face," The Smurfs 2 was a 3-D theatrical release.  Much of the film is shot in such a way as to maximize the 3-D effects.  Very few people have 3-D setups at home, so many of the films action sequences and sight gags will be lost on the 2-D crowd.  Some of the intended 3-D shots are downright awkward in 2-D.

Final complaint: Neil Patrick Harris' kid is horrible to watch.  His performance is obnoxious.  The way his obnoxious performance is edited is even worse.  He just grins stupidly through the entire film and blurts out "Yay!" or "Smurfs!"  I think he's handicapped.  The performance only makes sense if the child is mentally handicapped.

What saves The Smurfs 2 from being among the absolute worst movies of the year is the cast.  Neil Patrick Harris and Brendan Gleeson show off their easy charm.  Jayma Mays is super adorable.  Katy Perry is actually really good as the voice of Smurfette and Christina Ricci does well as the voice of Vexy, the Naughtie.  While Hank Azaria is wasted as Gargamel, I did like the idea of him becoming a successful stage magician.

Again, this is not a good movie, but it should be easy for a parent to tune out.  If it entertains a child for 90 minutes and doesn't drive you nuts, I say rent it for the kids.  But don't expect any real enjoyment for yourself. 

3.5 out of 10