The Smurfs are back, and in Paris? Will this journey be better than New York?
This sequel tells the story of the now-very successful Gargamel (Hank Azaria), who has turned himself into a magician in Paris. Gargamel has created two pale-skinned Smurf-like creatures called Naughties, Vexy and Hackus (voices of Christina Ricci and J.B. Smoove). Meanwhile, a misunderstanding has Smurfette (voice of Katy Perry), another creation of Gargamel's, question whether or not she belongs. Vexy then kidnaps Smurfette and before you know it, the Smurfs are out to rescue her, with the help of old and new friends.
Visually, The Smurfs 2 is nicely-done. Blue sparkles, realistic characters and locations, and magical effects light up the screen. The screenplay has the right amount of emotion and pizazz to make it solid enough. The acting is also fairly solid. Neil Patrick Harris and Azaria are solid enough in their roles once again, while Brendan Gleeson is a nice addition as stepfather Victor. Jayma Mays is once again the live-action stand-out, with a sweet, sincere personality, and her Audrey Hepburn impersonation is terrific.
The voice cast does a fine job as well. But Perry, who was only barely noticeable last time, is actually very good this time, she brings emotion, and she successfully sells her performance. Jonathan Winters, who passed away prior to this movie's release, is also great. Besides them and Frank Welker as a memorable Azrael, the others are average at best. Hector Periera does good with the music. A handful of hilarious moments. Solid messages on family, the importance of love, and valuing time with others.
In terms of negative notes, The Smurfs 2 does have some trouble with consistency from its' predecessor. First, I was disappointed that the updated Smurf village didn't have that New York-like spirit like we saw in the credits of the first movie. Also, Gargamel treats Smurfette like she's "Daddy's Little Girl", a completely different attitude from last time, when that aspect between the wizard and character's relationship wasn't even hinted at. I think the more rushed production schedule may have had something to do with this inconsistency.
I also felt a lack of excitement this time around. There are some tense moments, but there's not a lot of true-blue edge-of-your-seat action here. Finally, I prefer the New York setting. Its' not like Paris isn't beautiful, but the cinematography, while great in its own right, doesn't quite focus in on Paris' beauty as much as it did with New York. So the overall beauty and eye candy-like view of Paris is ignored at times, despite solid enough views of the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral.
In the end, The Smurfs 2 falls short of its' predecessor, as it comes within a smurf of matching that films' whimsicality and overall solid sense of wonder. That doesn't mean though that 2 is a disappointment. It's still entertaining, fun, and enjoyable enough that it will certainly brighten up any dull day.
Grade: B+
Content Problems Families Should Be Aware Of:
Language: One "oh my g--", and Gargamel uses "ye g--s!". Smurf language includes "oh my smurf", "holy smurf", "Meryl smurfing Streep" and "I nearly smurfed myself". Wink-winks to anatomy include "oh my gargaberries!" and someone wanting to hit a pinata "right in the smurfberries".
Adult Content: Much less of a concern than last time. A character falls into a cart naked (after a transformation spell undoes itself), and a smurf who fell in there with him comes out disgusted saying "I have seen unspeakable things down there!". Patrick and Grace kiss and flirt.
Violence: Someone's nearly eaten by a cat. A cat is thrown out the window. Gargamel is battered and beaten up several times. Smurfs are "tortured" by a smurfilator. Other characters have slapsticky shenanigans. Smurfette, Vexy and Hackus cause all sorts of cartoony trouble.
Drugs/Alcohol: Wine glasses and bottles are seen in the background of a couple of scenes.
Other: Some lying and deception. One fart joke.
