Smurfs face an evil wizard on a quest to find their biggest secret
THE third instalment of the Smurfs franchise sees a different set-up altogether in comparison to the previous two movies. For starters, there’s no live action and the film is completely animated with new actors and artists voicing the characters.
Smurfs: The Lost Village tells the story of a mysterious map discovered by best blue friends Smurfette, Brainy, Clumsy and Hefty, which sends them on an exciting race through the Forbidden Forest, leading to the discovery of the biggest secret in Smurf history – only to be hindered in their quest by evil wizard Gargamel and his cronies.
It was refreshing but it wasn’t as strong as it could’ve been as a reboot and there were a few small things lacking from the “originals”.
Actor Hank Azaria was the perfect Gargamel and I missed his vocal antics and hilarious fumblings – I wish he’d been recast in the role. It was initially difficult to get used to Rainn Wilson taking the reins, but he tries his best to fill the void.
I also missed the late Anton Yelchin’s vocals as Clumsy, with comedy actor Jack McBrayer an unconvincing replacement.
What also weakened the film was the script’s clumsiness in several parts.
The live-action side of the film wasn’t particularly missed, though, and the fact that it takes place in the Smurfs’ own realm makes it just that much more appealing than the previous films.
Demi Lovato was great as Smurfette and I particularly enjoyed the secondary storyline between the “blond bluety” and Joe Manganiello’s character, Hefty.
Although The Lost Village is not a direct sequel, the narrative of who or what Smurfette is continues from the get-go of Papa Smurfs introductory narrative until the end of the film.
The fight for feminism is still very much alive in this instalment.
The graphics and animation are visually stunning, with the dazzling colours and props setting the atmosphere.
There were points at which you felt as if you could almost touch the animated flowers and trees – and I’ll admit I even wanted to pat the luminous green bunnies who neighed like horses.
Among some of the things the smurfs discover during their journey are firebreathing insects, ironically labelled as Dragonflies (by Brainy– no surprises there), kissing killer plants and a strange hill-like river with luminous orange and yellow fish.
The soundtrack selection wasn’t that great but the concluding theme song by Meghan Trainor, titled I’m a Lady was a step in the right direction.
There’s also a cute scene during the credits that’s worth waiting for (for the kids at least).
For adults, the storyline is more or less predictable and not particularly charming but there are several humorous quirks to it that might just make you laugh out loud.
For the kids, it’s appealing and fun, with a totally unique and new story that will keep them glued to the screen.
However, despite its faults, it’s worth taking the children to sit through the one-and-a-half hour film that will keep everyone entertained in a sweet sort of way.