Recently, many cartoons have found themselves receiving live action film adaptations from Hollywood. “Alvin & The Chipmunks,” “The Smurfs,” “Marmaduke,” “Yogi Bear,” “Fat Albert,” “The Last Airbender” “Jem & the Holograms” and “Underdog” are all examples of purely awful adaptations of great source material. Could Sony Pictures Animation save The Smurfs by making this adaptation of a cartoon into a… cartoon?
Thankfully, “Smurfs: The Lost Village” is better than its live action counterparts. Though, that isn’t saying a lot, and it isn’t better by much. The good ideas begin with deciding to make this a story about Smurfette.
While easily the most unique character in the Smurfs, that’s chalked up largely to the fact that “she’s a girl,” and the movie decides to play with that idea. However, ideas seem to be all the film really has, with little to no effort put into making them happen.
From the first moments, something seems off. The camera is pulled in way too close to the characters, making for an uncomfortable viewing experience. We then see Smurfette, who is charming and well voiced by Demi Lovato, and the rest of the cast is great as well. Mandy Patinkin, Julia Roberts, Ellie Kemper, Jack McBrayer, Michelle Rodriguez are all great.
Problems arise the moment Gargamel appears. Not only is this scene a haphazard setup for the plot, but this Gargamel, voiced by Rainn Wilson, is annoying, stupid and has almost no redeemable qualities to him. He’s an annoyance every moment he’s on the screen.
The visuals also seem surprisingly downgraded. While they ditch the realistic look of the 2011 and 2013 films, they lack a true sense of imagination or wonder. When first encountering the magical land beyond their own, Smurfette exclaims “wow” as the camera pans to a shot of a sunset that is not even close to 'wow' worthy.
Overstuffed is the name of this story, as there seems to be anywhere from four to five different conflicts happening at once. There’s a plot about identity, protectiveness, making your claim in the world, whether or not some people are really good or bad. Half of these are introduced and then resolved in 20 minutes, leading the audience to wonder why they were introduced in the first place.
Couple that with a hyperactive first two thirds and a slow as molasses third act, and “The Lost Village” begins to grate on nerves. Although, when our four heroes do reach the village, the film becomes enjoyable, for a bit. The village is the best part, as it seems to feature the most fleshed out part of the story, characters and part of Smurfette’s character arc.
“Smurfs: The Lost Village” is an overstuffed and annoying animated film. It shows some signs of greatness with a plot centered around female identity and empowerment, but its lazy animation, poorly written plot and haphazard pacing can’t be saved by an interesting concept and good cast. While not as bad as the live action films, this village should have stayed undiscovered. 2/5
Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Animation, Sony Pictures Releasing, Columbia Pictures, The Kerner Entertainment Company, LStar Capital, and Wanda Pictures.
