Post by StevePulaski on Aug 15, 2011 22:20:14 GMT -5
Rating: ★½
Not only does Hollywood succeed in making a boat-load of money off of these mangy CGI/live-action films, but they continue to destroy the warmth, the special qualities, and the simplistic feeling all of these cartoons had. Alvin and the Chipmunks, Garfield, Scooby-Doo, and Yogi Bear have all been victims to this new tampering of family films and now The Smurfs just got smurfed with.
I judge family films by two simple things; will the kids enjoy it and will the parents enjoy it? Very few films take this small rule into consideration, because it's a very hard thing to do. When parents take their children to films, they usually think "two hours of day-dreaming." But it doesn't have to be that way. Some films, like Shrek and Spy Kids will charm adults as well as children. But CGI-ed features like this easily get bogged down by immaturity, lack of imagination, and big name stars doing the roles of animated creatures.
The story is The Smurfs get sucked into New York City and are being chased by some creepy magician/wizard, hunchback named Gargamel (Azaria) who wants to kidnap The Smurfs so he can create gold. Meanwhile, The Smurfs get sucked into the real world and land in the cliched city of New York. This insults the viewer seeing as every film has to include Chicago, Los Angeles, or New York to be relevant.
So, they get sucked in and go to an advertiser's house where him and his wife (Harris and Mays) live. It doesn't take much before the couple to basically briefly adopt these creatures without asking any questions. If five inch tall blue people wandered in your house would you ask a minute and a half to two minutes worth of questions before welcoming them into your home? Most illogical.
This is the rare case where this family film will please neither the adults or the children. It may bring a brief smile to the children's face, but their smiles will quickly diminish when they discover the film packs a plot amusing for only a few minutes and characters that grow annoying quickly and don't act out of their names (think of a world where people are called by their stereotypes. IE: nerd, geek, Jew, etc and each one acted like they are said to act). Most likely children aged three to five will find some enjoyment in this, but will not likely be able to sit through this ninety-two minute plot.
One character that bothered me was the main villain, Gargamel. His appearance is odd, his actions even odder, and his overall presence is awkward and out of place. He has a sidekick cat who he treats like a piece of meat, and that's one thing I can't and will never be able to condone or go unsaid; I hate animal abuse with a passion. I'm well aware the cat is a CGI creation, but the thought of someone doing this to a cat is inexcusable. This cat is beat to hell throughout this film. It is not funny. It is not clever. It is unnecessary.
Director Raja Gosnell doesn't necessarily have the best filmography out there. He has worked on Home Alone 3, Scooby-Doo and its sequel, Yours, Mine, & Ours, and Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Let those films set the bar for this one.
There are perks. Neil Patrick Harris does the best he can do under the given circumstances. He seems to resent the idea of playing secondhand man to a bunch of non-existing blue people, but does it with a cheery, yet likable persona. Though he can be good, there are parts, like the big climatic point where he begins to hate The Smurfs, that isn't believable. His anger isn't acted out properly, and the whole scene ruins any sympathy or believability for the characters.
Every film can be good, it just needs to be in the right hands, in the right directions, and done with the right cast. The Smurfs could've been good if it wasn't CGI mixed with live-action. It is such an out of place, awkwardly made mix that I believe the only two films that did it and did it well were The Spongebob Squarepants Movie and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? If you're going to make a movie about The Smurfs make it one of two ways (1) entirely CGI or (2) classically animated (recommended by me and the audience of America).
If you think it can't be done, a new-age animated film done in its classic style of animation, watch Winnie the Pooh and tell me I'm wrong.
Starring: Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mays, Sofia Vergara, and Hank Azaria. Voiced by: Jonathan Winters, Katy Perry, Anton Yelchin, Frank Welker, Fred Armisen, Alan Cumming, and George Lopez. Directed by: Raja Gosnell.
Not only does Hollywood succeed in making a boat-load of money off of these mangy CGI/live-action films, but they continue to destroy the warmth, the special qualities, and the simplistic feeling all of these cartoons had. Alvin and the Chipmunks, Garfield, Scooby-Doo, and Yogi Bear have all been victims to this new tampering of family films and now The Smurfs just got smurfed with.
I judge family films by two simple things; will the kids enjoy it and will the parents enjoy it? Very few films take this small rule into consideration, because it's a very hard thing to do. When parents take their children to films, they usually think "two hours of day-dreaming." But it doesn't have to be that way. Some films, like Shrek and Spy Kids will charm adults as well as children. But CGI-ed features like this easily get bogged down by immaturity, lack of imagination, and big name stars doing the roles of animated creatures.
The story is The Smurfs get sucked into New York City and are being chased by some creepy magician/wizard, hunchback named Gargamel (Azaria) who wants to kidnap The Smurfs so he can create gold. Meanwhile, The Smurfs get sucked into the real world and land in the cliched city of New York. This insults the viewer seeing as every film has to include Chicago, Los Angeles, or New York to be relevant.
So, they get sucked in and go to an advertiser's house where him and his wife (Harris and Mays) live. It doesn't take much before the couple to basically briefly adopt these creatures without asking any questions. If five inch tall blue people wandered in your house would you ask a minute and a half to two minutes worth of questions before welcoming them into your home? Most illogical.
This is the rare case where this family film will please neither the adults or the children. It may bring a brief smile to the children's face, but their smiles will quickly diminish when they discover the film packs a plot amusing for only a few minutes and characters that grow annoying quickly and don't act out of their names (think of a world where people are called by their stereotypes. IE: nerd, geek, Jew, etc and each one acted like they are said to act). Most likely children aged three to five will find some enjoyment in this, but will not likely be able to sit through this ninety-two minute plot.
One character that bothered me was the main villain, Gargamel. His appearance is odd, his actions even odder, and his overall presence is awkward and out of place. He has a sidekick cat who he treats like a piece of meat, and that's one thing I can't and will never be able to condone or go unsaid; I hate animal abuse with a passion. I'm well aware the cat is a CGI creation, but the thought of someone doing this to a cat is inexcusable. This cat is beat to hell throughout this film. It is not funny. It is not clever. It is unnecessary.
Director Raja Gosnell doesn't necessarily have the best filmography out there. He has worked on Home Alone 3, Scooby-Doo and its sequel, Yours, Mine, & Ours, and Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Let those films set the bar for this one.
There are perks. Neil Patrick Harris does the best he can do under the given circumstances. He seems to resent the idea of playing secondhand man to a bunch of non-existing blue people, but does it with a cheery, yet likable persona. Though he can be good, there are parts, like the big climatic point where he begins to hate The Smurfs, that isn't believable. His anger isn't acted out properly, and the whole scene ruins any sympathy or believability for the characters.
Every film can be good, it just needs to be in the right hands, in the right directions, and done with the right cast. The Smurfs could've been good if it wasn't CGI mixed with live-action. It is such an out of place, awkwardly made mix that I believe the only two films that did it and did it well were The Spongebob Squarepants Movie and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? If you're going to make a movie about The Smurfs make it one of two ways (1) entirely CGI or (2) classically animated (recommended by me and the audience of America).
If you think it can't be done, a new-age animated film done in its classic style of animation, watch Winnie the Pooh and tell me I'm wrong.
Starring: Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mays, Sofia Vergara, and Hank Azaria. Voiced by: Jonathan Winters, Katy Perry, Anton Yelchin, Frank Welker, Fred Armisen, Alan Cumming, and George Lopez. Directed by: Raja Gosnell.