Smurfs 2: Formulaic and Obnoxious

We live in a world addicted to sequels. Movies that don’t need or even deserve another chapter get second chances. After the first mediocre Smurfs movie, I truly was not expecting a second installment. Like its predecessor, The Smurfs 2 also focuses on the importance of family, but it delves into the character histories of Smurfette (the only girl in the Smurf clan) and Patrick (Neil Patrick Harris). The plot was almost a mirror image of the first movie’s plot. Instead of Gargamel chasing the Smurfs, this time the Smurfs must chase Gargamel and stop him from taking over the world. Instead of running all over New York, the Winslows and the Smurfs run back and forth through hotels and theatres in Paris. Unfortunately for this Smurfs installment, not much has changed: even the bad jokes and obnoxious Smurfs who fail to be cute, likable, or witty. Predictable, unoriginal, and unambitious, this movie fails to deliver and even underestimates the standards and taste of young children.

The movie opens with Smurfette’s (Katy Perry) birthday. Trouble is brewing. Every year she has nightmares about her origins, as she was created by Gargamel to infiltrate and wreak havoc on the Smurfs. Smurfette grapples with identity issues about whether she truly belongs in Smurfville, or if she still belongs to Gargamel. Papa Smurf (Jonathan Winters) saw the good in Smurfette and transformed her into a loving blue Smurf with a magic formula. Gargamel (Hank Azaria), now a world-famous magician in Paris, starts planning to take over the world and the Smurfs’ village once again. He needs more Smurf extract to power his master wand, so he orders his naughty children, Vexy (Christina Ricci) and Hackus (J.B. Smoove), to kidnap Smurfette. He’s set on coercing the magic formula from her.

Papa Smurf and his team go to her rescue. They ask Patrick to help track down Gargamel. Meanwhile, Patrick, as a young father, is still struggling to come to terms with being abandoned by his father as a child. Much to his chagrin, his stepfather, Victor (Brendan Gleeson), wants to reconnect with Patrick and Patrick’s son, Blue (Jacob Tremblay), but Patrick refuses to acknowledge Victor as his father.

There's one elaborate plan after another, but Victor always manages to blow their cover—in some ways, he’s the Clumsy Smurf of the human world (a well-meaning bull in a China shop). The father/identity themed subplots converge when Smurfette toggles between her original evil father and her kind, adoptive father while Patrick continuously pushes Victor away from his son and his life. The only redeemable quality about The Smurfs 2 is that it’s a sweet tribute to families, regardless of which form or size they take.

The first Smurfs movie tried to frame Gargamel as a gawky, goofy villain who incessantly squabbles with his cat, Azrael. They’re still beating this dead horse. Even though Azaria competently conjures up a crazy, goofy persona, the writting behind the character of Gargamel is not funny, relatable, or original. We don’t know why he puts such a premium on being evil and ruling the world.

It was interesting to learn more about Smurfette, as the first movie seemed only to objectify her. There wasn't much to her character other than her being pleasant and pretty. This movie shows a darker side of her, one that is susceptible to a love of power and mischief. While it is somewhat interesting to watch her struggle between good and evil, it's been done before to much better effect.

Brendan Gleeson is funny and even likable as Patrick’s jolly stepfather. He was the only character that I cared about in this movie, which is unfortunate, as the Smurfs are supposed to be the main characters. However, even his subplot with Patrick seems carelessly written. Patrick seems to dislike Victor only because he apparently sent away his parrot that his biological father gave him. I felt something close to genuine empathy when Victor shares his perspective on their relationship. Still, it’s hard to believe that one small isolated incident can completely unravel and answer ongoing complex issues. The writer has to work a little harder than that and really get into the meat of character relationships instead of skimming over the top of things as is done here.

While Smurfs 2 sometimes features funny and heartwarming moments, it will probably not impress children or parents as much as it wants to. Young families may want to check out Despicable Me 2 or Monsters University this summer before resorting to this movie. And even then, there are so many other children’s movies even with more original characters and fascinating plots from a couple years ago.  Also, this year’s batch of Smurfs were more annoying than cute. Although we still have Papa Smurf and Clumsy, the movie felt even more obnoxious with Vanity and Grumpy replacing Brainy and Gutsy. Younger children and parents are probably better off passing on The Smurfs 2 and revisiting good children’s movies from the 90’s and early 2000s.