The Smurfs (in 3D)

This can't be Smurf. The Smurfs are coming to the movies! No one would have dared to believe that the little blue pointed hat wearers would still be so popular more than 50 years after Belgian Pierre Peyo Culliford invented them. Yet millions of children and adults still love the Smurfs, who have generated generations of fans in comics, books, animated series, as characters, in video games, and even as singing stars. So it seems only a logical progression that The Smurfs have finally made it to the big screen.

In the (3D) adventure, the Smurfs must once again flee from the evil wizard Gargamel (Hank Azaria) after he finds the Smurfs' village through a mishap involving the clumsy Clumsy. In the process, a small group led by Papa Smurf is transported through a magical gateway into an alien world - straight to New York. With the help of the two humans Patrick (Neil Patrick Harris) and Grace (Jayma Mays), the stranded want to get back to Smurfville before Gargamel, who has also made it to New York, can wring their blue necks. But he's already hatched a very nasty plan to catch the Smurfs before the magic gate opens again.

With films like Scooby-Doo or Beverly Hills Chihuahua, director Raja Gosnell hasn't exactly covered himself in glory, qualitatively speaking. That he of all people brought the beloved Smurfs into the cinema in a mixture of live-action film and computer animation didn't bode well. But at least it can be said: this blue cinema fun didn't turn out to be as bad as expected. Especially the opening sequence in the Smurfs' village is really cute and somehow charmingly realized. Only when Papa Smurf, Smurfette, Grouchy, Brainy, Mc Brave and the other Smurfs end up in New York, the film loses much of its initial magic and becomes a surprise-poor and rather weak family comedy of the usual kind.

Instead of charm, hecticness and volume prevail here. There is constant shouting and falling down somewhere. True, there are nice moments here and there, such as when tribute is paid to Smurf creator Peyo or Patrick gets upset that his new blue roommates have to say Smurf in every sentence. But overall, the gags wear thin quickly, and only the cuteness factor of the titular heroes then saves the film from ultimate mediocrity.

The real-life actors, series stars Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) and Jayma Mays (Glee), are much more flat and lifeless than their animated co-stars, primarily due to the weak script. Hank Azaria, who already looks a lot like his comic book template, plays completely over-the-top evil with obvious glee, so at least kids will get a lot of enjoyment out of the evil Smurf hunter. In general, little moviegoers should hardly mind the film's moments that are disappointing for older Smurf fans. They're treated to a whirlwind adventure that's sure to delight with plenty of harmless but also cute gags and lovable heroes.

The 3D effect is pleasingly well realized in some scenes, which is also positively noticeable because the action mostly takes place in daylight - a definite advantage for the obscuring 3D. Even though The Smurfs look good smurfed in three dimensions, the film itself only marginally gains in entertainment value as a result. So if you prefer to watch movies without glasses, you're not really missing much.

Whether in 3D or 2D, The Smurfs will delight children, and thus its popularity will continue long after 50-plus years have passed. Fans of the early days, on the other hand, will sorely miss the charm and endearingly innocent stories of the comics and the old animated series. But who knows: maybe the Smurfs will be allowed to stay in their own world in a more than likely sequel. Until that happens, children in particular can safely smurf into the cinema for this first film

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp