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16 of 20 people found the following review helpful.
Funny and entertaining for the whole family
By +++
This movie resembles two recent 3D videos: it uses the same combination of real-life footage with cartoons as "Yogi bear" and its cartoon heroes resemble gnomes from "Gnomeo and Juliet". Like with "Yogi Bear", there is an entertaining plot which keeps you occupied, and there is good humor which makes you laugh. Smurfs is a little better than Yogi Bear, though, because plot is more sophisticated and acting is more complex and involved. There is nothing in this movie to scare little kids but they may get bored as one probably has to be 10+ years old to understand all the humor and adult's problems with balancing professional life with family and Smurfs, but adults will certainly have fun. I honestly think it is one of the better movies that came out in 3D to-date. Talking about 3D - 3D effects are OK but not outstanding. There are several scenes made with extensive use of computer graphics done with 3D in mind which stand out, but the rest of the footage is regular 3D footage of live action with fine, but not stunning depth.I noticed that this movie got several bad reviews on Amazon, with one and two stars ratings. As I looked through those reviews, I noticed that they were all written by people who remember Smurfs from TV shows from decades ago and who are frustrated that Smurfs in this movie are so different from what they remember. I can't blame them - this is human nature and the way how we attach to memories from the past. I never saw the original story, and if I saw it today, I probably would find it boring and outdated as the majority of old films and shows. Without the set of mind pre-determined by expectations about smurfs, I enjoyed the movie and found that it was fun to watch!
20 of 28 people found the following review helpful.
A Great Smurfs Movie Comes Along Once in a Blue Moon!
By Joseph Landes
I just finished watching Smurfs with my kids in the movie theater and definitely recommend it to children agest 7-12. To properly rate this movie, I'll comment on it from the standpoint of "should you take your kids to see it?" The movie itself is good with an easy storyline to follow. Gargamel wants to capture the "essence" of the Smurfs so he can be the besdt magician in the world. To do that, he needs to capture one of the Smurfs and the movie goes about telling the story of how he tries to do that. I thought that a child under the age of 7 will likely not get all the innuendos and may even be scared at certain points in the movie--especiall of Gargamel. 12 year old on the other hand are about at the ceiling where they would find the movie funny and entertaining. There are definitely some good jokes that even adults would like--but not enough to recommend it solely for adults who want to see it themselves (although curiously there are always adults in this sort of movie--I kind of wonder why?) A good flick that is about the right length for kids to sit through with some good action and funny moments.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
Enjoyed the content but it's missing something
By Mark
First, let me say that I enjoyed the movie. I have been a fan since the Hanna-Barbera cartoon from the eighties. This is a cute and enjoyable movie, even with the occasional low brow humor and over-indulgent slapstick that channels old Hollywood physical comedy. No the story isn't overly complex, but it does dabble in backstory that pays attention to the canon from Saturday morning cartoons a la Hanna-Barbera without going into too much depth. It's enjoyable for all ages, whether kids or kids-at-heart who want to be nostalgic or just entertained. The cast was a good fit, even if Hank Azaria was subject to brutally obvious Wile E. Coyote moments in the story.
Now the downside: Even though I won't rant with a verbal tantrum that some of the others have already posted, I will say that I share their disappointment about my purchase of a more-expensive 3D Blu-ray version of this film, to find out that doesn't include all the extra features like "The Smurfs - A Christmas Carol". This one item in particular is a substantial omission from the 3D combo pack, and apparently it's not available through iTunes as of this date. It's also disappointing that the digital copy included is not an iTunes compatible format.
I do not like the new Ultraviolet streaming format for various reasons that others here have already (rather irately) mentioned, as well as one particular reason of my own. When we, the consumers, purchase something that includes a digital copy, we do expect to be able to use it with our portable devices without the over-complications of creating multiple new accounts to access it, and to receive low quality streaming that the new Ultraviolet Digital Version seems to impose. My main issue with the service is that when I download Ultraviolet Digital Copy instead of streaming it, I haven't been able to find a selection in the software that allows me to choose where to store the file. This is a major inconvenience when you are using a computer that only has a 256GB hard drive like the Macbook Air, and when you use a network storage device such as Time Capsule or WD Sharespace on your home network to store audio/video digital media. It also means that (so far) it will not play on an Apple TV. I understand the right of the manufacturer to produce their own digital copy format, but that doesn't mean it is the format that consumers want, or want to pay for in lieu of important special features that are included with less expensive editions. I definitely don't want to purchase two copies of the Blu-Ray combo packs to get everything that is typically included in all of them, including the 3D version. My suggestion is that the industry pick a standard for digital copies just like they did when they all caved and went with Blu-Ray, and also select a standard on content inclusion/exclusion so that consumers aren't disgruntled or disappointed.
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