The Smurfs – The Smurfs (2011)

Directed by: Raja Gosnell | 102 minutes | animation, family | Actors: Neil Patrick Harris, Hank Azaria, Jayma Mays, Sofia Vergara, Tim Gunn | Dutch voice cast: Kim-Lian van der Meij, Jack Wouterse, Tygo Gernandt, Freddie Tratlehner, Ollicio Locadia, Pepijn Lanen, Sascha Visser, Giel Beelen, Johnny Kraaijkamp Jr., Sander de Heer, Frans Limburg, Florus van Rooyen, Huub Dikstaal, Lottie Hellingman | Original voice cast: Katy Perry, Anton Yelchin, Alan Cumming, Paul Reubens, BJ Novak, George Lopez, Kenan Thompson, Jonathan Winters, Fred Armisen, John Oliver, Jeff Foxworthy, Gary Basaraba, Wolfgang Puck

Is the world waiting for a three-dimensional live action/animated film from the Smurfs? According to director Raja Gosnell, yes. In fact, if everything goes according to plan, ‘The Smurfs’ will give the starting shot for a real trilogy, in which it will be revealed, among other things, how it is that Gargamel has become such a Smurf-hating sourpuss. In this film, the villain has to do without a psychological background for a while, but that does not mean that he comes off badly. The wannabe wizard, played by Hank Azaria, may be a bit of a mess, but in part 1 he does run off with the best scenes.

In ‘The Smurfs’ Papa Smurf and some of his fellow villagers find themselves through a watery wormhole in modern-day New York. The blue ex-pats are hot on the heels of Azrael and Gargamel (Hank Azaria), who need Smurf extract for a concoction that will make him the most powerful wizard in the world. The Smurfs take refuge in the apartment of Patrick (Neil Patrick Harris), an advertising executive working on an assignment that could make or break his career. At first, the Smurfs drive Patrick to despair, but soon he closes the creatures in his heart and joins them in search of a way to reopen the portal to safe Smurfland. In the meantime wise lessons are being learned: take life as it comes, enjoy all the beautiful things and believe in yourself.

There’s one thing the filmmakers got right, and that’s that the Smurfs arouse at least as much corniness as childhood sentiment. On the one hand, ‘The Smurfs’ with its warm morals is a tribute to the classic Peyo comic, on the other hand, the scenario leaves no opportunity unexplored to poke fun at the Smurf existence. Reference is made, for example, to the high whine of the Smurf song or the somewhat dubious fact that Smurfette is the only woman living in a village full of men (“No, that’s not screwed up at all!”, Gargamel remarks not entirely unjustly). Some of the jokes seem primarily intended for adult audiences, such as a comment about Passive-Aggressive Smurf – who is apparently nice, but still leaves you with a bad feeling.

All in all, ‘The Smurfs’ is more fun than you might expect. Fans of the TV series may regret that the Smurf’s clumsiness has been somewhat lost in the modern setting, or that the Smurfs have lost their charisma to the flesh-and-blood characters, but on the other hand, the contemporary approach has a lot to offer. makes good jokes. You have to chuckle when you hear a New York city idiot muttering about little blue men. Furthermore, the 3D effects are successful and the film makes nice use of landmarks such as Times Square, toy store FAO Schwarz and the famous subway grids – which, according to Gargamel, are the perfect location for a theatrical appearance thanks to the rising water vapor. For kids, ‘The Smurfs’ offers plenty of spectacle; a few fat winks keep the parents on their toes. So they’re pretty okay, those Smurfs. At least we don’t hate them.