Smurfs: The Lost Village – Film Review

Director: Kelly Asbury
Writers: Stacey Harman, Pamela Ribon
Stars: Ariel Winter, Michelle Rodriguez, Julia Roberts

The Smurfs return with the third instalment of their reboot series. The first in the series (the Smurfs – 2011) had the small blue ones interacting with real characters in New York, chased by the evil Gargamel outside their natural terrain. The second instalment was set in Paris, and followed a similar vein. The third instalment is set in… Smurfland? Yes, it’s a fully animated feature, as the attempts to make it in the real world are dismissed. Whether this makes the film more or less expensive to produce would be interesting to know, but the film lacks humans other than the animated Gargamel.

The premise is extremely complicated so get ready to take notes. Gargemel wants to steal the Smurf’s magical essence. Is that OK, or do you want me to repeat it? The twist this time out is that Smurfette unearths a lost village of Smurfs and unwittingly tells Gargamel of their existence. This sets in motion a chase between the baldy wizard and the Smurfs to the village to either warn them, or plunder their essence, depending on who gets there first. Who do you think does?

This film cries out ‘safe fun’ at a moderate volume that is acceptable for young, delicate ears. Their journey to the Lost city is an excuse for a road trip with various escapades and adventures en route. While Gargamel is undoubtedly a bad man, you imagine that if he had met the right woman in earlier years, he probably would have given up evil altogether and ended up in middle management. While the Smurfs are something of an obsession for him, it could just as easily be early jazz records or model aircraft. This film is firmly aimed at younger viewers, so if you’re over 8 years of age, it’s not for you. Take it as a chance to zone out while the little person beside you is content for 90 minutes, a rare feat in itself!  The one real positive in the film for me was the strong role of females throughout the adventure. The girls kick ass in this one!