Rated PG

With a new voice cast – including a new pop music star as Smurfette – the little blue creatures are living in peace in Smurf Village. When one of them discovers he has magical powers, the evil wizard Razamel kidnaps Papa Smurf, and the rest have to save him.

The Smurfs have never been a gold standard in animation, but they offer a certain level of entertainment value for younger viewers. So, the erratic script, sometimes low-brow jokes, and too many desperate-to-be-cool references to popular apps aren’t insurmountable problems.

At least the disjointed plot keeps moving rather than stagnating in the “let’s go to the real world” trope.

I’ll admit there are some clever moments that allow this film to rise above the problems that saddled the previous adaptations. And in spite of a script overloaded with MacGuffins, the film has a bright and vibrant tone that can be fun.

It’s enjoyable enough and mercifully short, even with the Rihanna songs crammed in to inspire downloads.

SMURFS gets two and a half smurfing smurfs out of five. I’m Kevin Carr, and that’s the way I see it.

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