Tuesday, August 09, 2011

Smurfing USA

It’s quite baffling that some of the live-action, Hollywoodized versions of beloved ‘80s cartoons barely focus on the main characters. The “Transformers” movies gave more attention to its human character Sam Witwicky and his messy foibles than the culture of the titular alien robots. To a lesser extent, the second “Chipmunks” movie had the human co-stars’ unnecessary romance angle.

“The Smurfs” pretty much goes the same route; the “three-apples-high” blue creatures find themselves in the modern world, specifically in present-day New York, affecting the lives of the loving couple they come in contact with. Instead of exploring Smurfs lore, their first film adventure detours into human family drama territory, becoming more concerned with the career and home situations of spouses Patrick (Neil Patrick Harris) and Grace (Jayma Mays).

Harris and Mays are unquestionably good (you do forget that he regularly plays TV manslut Barney Stinson; you also forget that she’s “Glee’s” obsessive-compulsive guidance counselor Emma), but we really didn’t need to see their characters. We didn’t need to see the Smurfs in New York, either. Time spent focusing on characters like Patrick’s boss (played by Sofia Vergara, who sounds and acts like her “Modern Family” character) could’ve been used to develop the chosen Smurfs.

This live-action treatment gets redundant after a bit. A fully animated film should’ve been greenlighted instead. The colorful scenes depicting the goings-on at the hidden Smurf village in the first couple of minutes show possible Smurf-centric storylines that should’ve been pursued and utilized. “The Smurfs” isn’t a bad family flick, it’s just that the film really isn’t about them at all.

“The Smurfs” opens today in Metro Manila.

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