Click it and Unblock the Notifications
The Smurfs 2 - Movie Review: A Fantasy Film For Smurfphiles
In this franchise, Gargamel the wizard is flourishing in Paris. But he is running out of his magical powers. So he creates a group of mischievous Smurf-replicas called the Naughties; Smurfette (voiceover by Katy Perry), Vexy (voiceover by Christina Ricci) and Hackus (voiceover by J.B. Smoove) to obtain the all-powerful, magical Smurf-essence. Apparently, this concoction would help Gargamel to rule the world.
Unfortunately for him, things don't work according to his plans. Smurfette, the cute blonde naughty, who he had sent to snoop and rob the Smurfs of their "Smurf-essence", is a changed individual as she "chooses to be a Smurf". So, he with the help of Vexy and Hackus kidnaps Smurfette from Smurf-land and imprisons her in Paris.
Laced with familial bonding, an adventurous flight around Paris and emotional blackmail what follows is the Smurfette-rescue operation. Papa Smurf (voiceover by Jonathan Winters) along with Smurfanity, Grouchy and Narcissi-murf (voiceover by George Lopez, Anton Yelchin and John Oliver respectively) traverse to Paris and in collaboration with their human friends - Patrick (Harris), Grace (Mays) Winslow and Victor (Brendon Gleeson), they rescue Smurfette. Continue to read The Smurfs movie review.
The Smurfs 2 Plot
The plot is layered with lessons like dealing with different types of parents - real parents, adoptive parents to stand-in parents. It is strongly underlined with the moral, "It does not matter from where you come, what matters is what you choose to be."
Dialogues In The Smurfs 2
It takes patience to go through the first half hour of the film as the narration screeches of show and tell technique and smurfological dialogues; that is, diction morphed with smurf references. Once you get used to this, you begin to appreciate the film. The dialogues are preachy and the humour is derived from the repetitive actions or verbal jokes.
Voice-Overs In The Smurfs 2
But the best and crassy lines are mouthed by Patrick's ever-embarrassing step-father Victor. Hank Azaria as Gargamel along with his Cat excels in his cartoonish avatar of the evil wizard. Brendon Gleeson as Victor sparkles with all the absurdity in the film. It is actually funny to watch him transform into a mallard and then return to his normal self, suddenly mid-air. The voice of Jonathan Winters as Papa Smurf is endearing. Katy Perry and the rest of the cast beautifully and effectively synchronize their voices with the characters.
Visual Treat In The Smurfs 2
Visually, the two locales - Smurf Village and Paris are distinct and beautifully captured. But it's Paris with top-angle shots and aerial shots that transform this pixie tale to a fantasy film. Director Raja Gosnell and his accomplished team have seamlessly merged the camerawork with the computer generated images. But the blatant plugging of the Sony tablet in this Sony production is pointless, when in reality the target audience for this film is viewers less than ten years of age.
The Smurfs 2 - Verdict
The film The Smurfs 2 will only appeal to Smurfphiles and those who understand Smurfology!
The Smurfs 2 Production Team
Producer:
Jordan
Kerner
Director:
Raja
Gosnell
Cast:
Neil
Patrick
Harris,
Hank
Azaria,
Jayma
Mays
and
Brendan
Gleeson;
Voices
of:
Jonathan
Winters,
Katy
Perry,
Christina
Ricci,
Anton
Yelchin,
George
Lopez,
John
Oliver
and
JB
Smoove
Music:
Heitor
Pereira
Cinematography:
Phil
Meheux
