The Smurfs 2

 

Maybe I am easily amused, but every time the little cat Azrael showed up on the screen in The Smurfs 2, I found myself smiling. Fans of the cartoon (and the hit 2011 live action adaptation) already know that Azrael is the long-suffering henchman (hench-cat?) to the evil, yet frequently incompetent, wizard Gargamel, once again brought to life by Hank Azaria, who comes closest to becoming a live action cartoon character than I've ever seen.  Gargamel's plans to capture the little blue Smurfs always seem to be set for disaster, and Azrael seems to realize this.  The photo-realistic CG feline doubles over with laughter whenever his master's plans lead to Gargamel getting smashed or maimed, or simply shakes his head in embarrassment.  This was cute, and I kind of wanted to see more of it.

The cat was an island of amusement in a movie that was virtually a sea of pleasant blandness.  There's nothing particularly wrong with The Smurfs 2.  As kid's entertainment, it does its job, and it never offends.  I just find very little to get excited about when it comes to the Smurfs themselves.  They're cute little blue creatures with puffy hats who like to sing and dance all day, and well, that's about it.  They mostly have names that describe their one-note personality (Clumsy, Brainy, Greedy, etc.), which makes it easy for kids to identify them, I guess.  This time, the movie's emphasis is on lone female Smurf, Smurfette (voiced by Katy Perry), who we learn is not actually a Smurf at all.  She was originally a "Naughty", a pale-skinned Smurf-like creature created by Gargamel to infiltrate the mushroom village of the little blue creatures.  But wise old Papa Smurf (voiced by Jonathan Winters, in his final performance) found a way to turn Smurfette blue and good, and she's been living amongst them ever since.

As Smurfette's birthday approaches, her past has been haunting her a lot lately.  It doesn't help her mood that everyone in the Smurf Village seems to have forgotten her birthday. (In reality, they're planning a surprise party.) Meanwhile, the evil Gargamel has created two new Naughties, which he hopes to use to capture the Smurfs, and lure Smurfette back to his side.  The Naughties capture Smurfette and take her to Paris, where Gargamel has been living recently, doing a successful magic act.  The Smurfs follow her trail, and must once again rely on the help of their human friends, Patrick (Neil Patrick Harris) and Grace (Jayma Mays), from the last movie.  Patrick's somewhat-estranged stepfather, Victor (Brendan Gleeson), also comes along for the adventure, so that there can be some tender father and son bonding moments along the way. 

Compared to some other recent cartoon to live action adaptations, like Alvin and the Chipmunks and the dreadful Yogi Bear, The Smurfs 2 is a small step above in quality.  I liked Patrick.  I liked Grace.  I liked Victor, even when he gets briefly turned into a duck by Gargamel's magic.  I was even amused whenever Gargamel and Azrael would get into little arguments, with Azrael "talking back" to his owner in cat-speak, which is sometimes accompanied by subtitles.  I just find the Smurfs themselves boring.  The Naughties were kind of bland, too, and are about as safe and as unthreatening as cartoon villains can get.   Of course, none of this mattered to the kids at my screening.  They were enthralled by the antics of the little blue guys.  More power to them, and I can relate.  I remember waking up Saturday mornings as a kid to watch the Smurfs cartoon.  I guess their charms just kind of fade as you get older. 

The human cast seem to be working tirelessly with the material they've been given, and at least have a lot of energy.  Neil Patrick Harris may not exactly be using all of his talents as the nice and supportive Patrick, but at least he doesn't let on.  Jayma Mays has a slightly reduced role from the last film, but she's likable as well.  Even Brendan Gleeson, that fine Irish actor, doesn't show that he's slumming it here.  But, just as in the last Smurf movie, it's Hank Azaria as Gargamel who gets the most attention.  He throws himself so into the character, it's amazing.  It's a highly energized cartoon villain performance, and as his character made numerous pratfalls, tumbled from heights, and was crushed by cars, I started to realize that Azaria is basically playing a live action take on the Coyote from the old Looney Tunes shorts.  He's relentlessly pursuing his prey, as he is constantly crushed and humiliated in his various efforts to catch the little Smurfs.  His performance deserves some kind of recognition for just how fully he tackles this character head on.

 

Is it strange that I found myself enjoying this movie a little bit more whenever the Smurfs weren't on the screen?  I think that just means the little guys aren't strong enough to carry a full movie, let alone two of them.  Good thing the five credited screenwriters seem to realize this, and give the human characters plenty of opportunity to take center stage.  The Smurfs 2 is not the worst kids movie out there, but there's a lot better ones out there, too.

See the movie times in your area or buy the DVD at Amazon.com! 

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