The Film
"Stop saying 'Smurf' for everything!"
Back in the '80s, The Smurfs were a global phenomenon. Those little blue creatures had cartoons, toys, lunchboxes, an ice show, and more. Flash forward to 2011 and life isn't all that Smurfy. Don't be (ahem) blue; Sony snagged the rights to The Smurfs movie.
The Smurfs finds our little friends perfectly content, living in the Smurf Village, where everyone sings, everyone is blue -- and both of those things are good. Unfortunately, Smurf happens and the evil Gargamel (a live-action Hank Azaria) finds his way into their happy place. During the scramble, there's a mishap and the Smurfs get sucked into a vortex and on their way to New York City, with Gargamel and his cat Azreal in tow. Once in New York, they happen upon Patrick (Neil Patrick Harris), an uptight ad exec, who lives with his pregnant missus (Glee's Jayma Mays).
Are you Smurfing for a little more info about this movie? Check out Beth McCabe's theatrical review for The Smurfs.
The Picture
This 1.78:1 transfer is absolutely Smurftacular in every dimension. That said, if you're going to bother buying The Smurfs, go for the gold (er, blue) and get the 3D. The film sets the 3D tone from the beginning, with a gorgeous aerial shot and even an airborne Smurfette. From there, we get a lot of depth, mainly from the Smurfs themselves. There's plenty of bang for your buck, as well. After all, this is a kids' movie, which means you can count on a ton of pop-out effects, especially whenever Gargamel rears his ugly head.
The rest of the film is extremely nice looking, too. It's a nice bonus that the 3D never interferes with this film's gorgeous image. Even better, the CG never interferes with the image, either. For instance, it's absolutely Smurftastic how well the CG blends with the "real" world. The Smurfs also look pretty great, with textured skin and plenty of peach fuzz on their little hats and their little faces. Overall, the film is stuffed with sharp details and bright colors, most notably the Smurfy blues and lush greens.
The Sound
Like the film, the DTS-HD Master Audio track is very animated. The Smurfs is all about special effects, and it uses the audio track to its full advantage. The whole vortex thing swirls around the surrounds, there's a ton of atmopsheric noise from the city sounds, and again, Gargamel brings the noise whenever he is present. The opening chase and vortex scenes, as well as the climactic ending, offer up particularly impressive audio. For creatures that claim to be only three apples tall, they can certainly get the room rumbling. The Smurfs is quite the fun ride, with clear dialogue and exceptional sound effects throughout.
The Extras
Both a 2D and 3D version of The Smurfs appears on the one Blu-ray, but the extras are only offered in 2D. However, aside from "Blue-pers" and a music montage, most will not appeal to the film's target demographic.
Director Raja Gosnell offers up his own commentary track, with producer Jordan Kerner, writers J. David Stem, David N. Weiss, Jay Scherick and David Ronn, and visual effects supervisor Richard Hoover all taking on a second. Other features include a look at Smurfs history, cast interviews, and a very in-depth peek at the production through "Progression Reels."
Also included here is the Ultraviolet copy and a DVD version of the The Smurfs, which has its own "Find the Smurfs Game." Overall, it's not such a bad selection, but it is slightly disappointing that this 3D set lacks a few crucial extras that are only available on the 2D release. The 2D set has a whole extra disc, which includes the brand-new movie, The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol. It also has something called Smurf-O-Vision: Second Screen Experience, which boasts interactivity via a TV, an iPad, iPhone or iPod touch.
Final Thoughts
This cutesy comedy is probably one for the kiddos, and maybe those with a Smurf spot for an '80s flashback. That doesn't necessarily make The Smurfs a good movie, but it's really not as bad as you'd expect. At the very least, be thankful that Sony didn't Smurf out on the AV. This release has exceptional audio and video, and fun 3D effects that the whole family can enjoy.
Product Details
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