A bright, kid-friendly live-action/animation hybrid with enough candy-colored energy and slapstick to entertain younger viewers, but it leans heavily on broad jokes, product-placement-style New York antics, and a thin story. Nostalgia may do some of the work for viewers who grew up with the characters.
The Smurfs
Where to watch: Buy
Movie · Animation · Family
Fri · 1h 43m
Director: Raja Gosnell
Starring: Hank Azaria, Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mays
Overview
When the evil wizard Gargamel chases the tiny blue Smurfs out of their village, they tumble from their magical world and into ours -- in fact, smack dab in the middle of Central Park. Just three apples high and stuck in the Big Apple, the Smurfs must find a way to get back to their village before Gargamel tracks them down.
Director
Raja Gosnell
Cast
Hank Azaria, Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mays
Curator Review
Verdict
A bright, kid-friendly live-action/animation hybrid with enough candy-colored energy and slapstick to entertain younger viewers, but it leans heavily on broad jokes, product-placement-style New York antics, and a thin story. Nostalgia may do some of the work for viewers who grew up with the characters.
Best for
families with younger kids
viewers seeking lightweight fantasy-comedy
fans of early-2010s studio family movies
people who enjoy simple fish-out-of-water stories
Skip if
you want sharp writing or sophisticated humor
you dislike live-action/CGI hybrid family films
you need strong character development
you are looking for a faithful, richly imagined fantasy world
Overview
The Smurfs is exactly the kind of glossy, noisy family movie that lives or dies on tolerance for silliness. It has a cheerful color palette, a few decent visual gags, and enough momentum to keep very young viewers engaged, even if the humor is often obvious and the plot is mostly a delivery system for chase scenes and references.
Worth noting
The movie’s biggest weakness is that it feels assembled rather than inspired. The fish-out-of-water premise is familiar, the human characters are generic, and the jokes tend to land more as brand maintenance than comedy. Still, there is a certain harmless, Saturday-morning energy to it that can be mildly charming if you’re in the right mood.
Bottom line
If you’re watching with kids, or you have a soft spot for the property, it can pass an afternoon. If you’re hoping for a family film with real wit, emotional texture, or memorable world-building, this one is likely to feel disposable.
Top Letterboxd reviews
James (Schaffrillas) (1★) · 3028 likes
Kill yoursmurf
AlVarela (2★) · 1955 likes
Ok but the "I Kissed A Smurf And I Liked It" joke doesn't work because Smurfette is the only girl in Smurf village which means Smurfs are objectively incapable of being lesbians but then again how would romance and procreation work the Smurfs are all men unless the Smurfs all date each other and are one big gay tribe but that doesn't fit the reference because Katy Perry's song is about girls kissing girls not boys kissing boys especially since
shay (1★) · 975 likes
First of all, Papa Smurf didn't create Smurfette. Gargamel did. She was sent in as Gargamel's evil spy with the intention of destroying the Smurf village, but the overwhelming goodness of the Smurf way of life transformed her. And as for the whole gang-bang scenario,
DirkH (1★) · 626 likes
I thought Avatar was much better.
jules (5★) · 519 likes
talented brilliant incredible amazing show-stopping spectacular never the same totally unique
Themes
fish-out-of-water, good vs evil, friendship, home and belonging, family-friendly adventure, magic, urban fantasy, slapstick comedy
Topics
family adventure, live-action/animation hybrid, fish-out-of-water, urban fantasy, slapstick, lighthearted, nostalgic, magic, kids comedy, early 2010s