The Smurfs 2: A Surprisingly Better Sequel
Having remained on Earth at the end of the previous film, the wizard Gargamel (Hank Azaria) becomes a famous illusionist, moves to Paris, and creates two mischievous creatures – the Naughties, resembling Smurfs but needing magic to sustain them. Many years ago, Gargamel unleashed a Naughty girl on the Smurfs, but Papa Smurf transformed her into a Smurf and named her Smurfette. Now, Gargamel wants the Naughties to go to the Smurf world, kidnap Smurfette, and extract from her the spell that turns a Naughty into a Smurf, endowing them with magical energy that Gargamel can use in his sorcery. When their adopted sister disappears, the Smurfs set out to rescue her. As before, they seek help from Patrick Winslow (Neil Patrick Harris) and his family, including his young son Blue and elderly stepfather Victor (Brendan Gleeson).
Although the film is set in Paris, it was mainly shot in the French quarters of Montreal, Canada.
Two years ago, Raja Gosnell directed a monstrous film – even by the standards of a director who began his career with “Home Alone 3.” “The Smurfs” should have flopped, and crowds should have taken to the streets to protest the mockery of the famous Belgian comic and animated series. However, this did not happen. The public swallowed the nonsensical picture, filled with product placement, and asked for more.
In the American version of the film, Smurfette is voiced by Katy Perry. However, there is not a single one of her songs in the film. The final song, for example, was recorded by Britney Spears.
Well, Gosnell has delivered the second installment of the planned trilogy. And it turned out to be noticeably better than the first! No, the director has not transformed into an inspired storyteller, and his five screenwriters still couldn’t come up with even one original joke. But if the first film was an exercise in absurdity, the second film is a coherent, sometimes funny, and often captivating tale for young children (adults have nothing to gain here), which touches on a dilemma understandable to many children: “Who are my parents? Those who conceived and gave birth to me, or those who raised and nurtured me?”
Sequels and Surprises
Many sequels suffer from continuing a story familiar to viewers and losing the freshness of the first encounter with vibrant characters. “The Smurfs 2,” on the contrary, benefited from being a sequel. First, the second film cannot be reproached for an unjustified transfer of action from the magical world to Earth. If Gargamel now lives here, then the return of the Smurfs to our world is quite justified. Second, the sequel does not torment viewers with jokes about how fairy-tale characters do not know how to go to the toilet on Earth (both Gargamel and the Smurfs have managed to get used to our life). True, toilet humor remains in the film, but now these are just old, rather than aggressively stupid, jokes. Finally, third, moving the action to Paris saved the film from intrusive advertising and from scenes at Winslow’s workplace. In “The Smurfs 2,” Patrick is not a vice president of marketing (a truly fabulous character!), but a good friend of the main characters who helps save Smurfette and at the same time realizes how wrong he was when he hated his stepfather for many years. So this time, Winslow’s story does not take time away from the adventures of the blue creatures, but emphasizes the moral that Gosnell is trying to convey in the main narrative (Smurfette chooses between Papa Smurf and Gargamel). And although the direction is too crude and clumsy to call it “touching” or “heartfelt,” “The Smurfs” are clearly moving in the right direction. If this continues, the third or fourth film about the Smurfs will be a masterpiece!