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Saturday, April 27, 2024
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HOLLYWOOD THE SMURFS 2
EDITOR'S PICK
`The
Smurfs 2` a fantasy film for Smurfphiles
Rating:*****
This season seems to be dedicated for kids. After "Turbo" and "Zambezia",
director Raja Gosnell's "The Smurfs 2" is another rollicking
roller-coaster hybrid-live action-cum-animated film.
Based on the characters and works of Belgian comic artist Peyo, "The Smurfs
2" is a sequel to the 2011 film, "The Smurfs". For the
uninitiated, the Smurfs are blue, three apple-high friendly individuals who live
in mushroom houses in Smurf Village, a fantasy land.
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.
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."
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. But the best and crassy lines are mouthed by Patrick's
ever-embarrassing step-father Victor.
Penned by a group of writers, the film's plot points don't have a definite
graph. It balances on an even keel. The action is too predictable and
ineffective in 3D.
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.
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 film will only appeal to Smurfphiles and those who understand Smurfology!
In this sequel to the hybrid live action/animated family blockbuster comedy The Smurfs, the evil wizard Gargamel creates a couple of mischievous Smurf-like creatures called the Naughties that he hopes will let him harness the all-powerful, magical Smurf-essence. But when he discovers that only a real Smurf can give him what he wants — and only a secret spell that Smurfette knows can turn the Naughties into real Smurfs — Gargamel kidnaps Smurfette and brings her to Paris, where he has been winning the adoration of millions as the world’s greatest sorcerer. It's up to Papa, Clumsy, Grouchy, and Vanity to return to our world, reunite with their human friends Patrick and Grace Winslow, and rescue her! Will Smurfette, who has always felt different from the other Smurfs, find a new connection with the Naughties Vexy and Hackus – or will the Smurfs convince her that their love for her is True Blue?
