It’s Film Friday! As per last week, I thought I’d bring you something entertaining during the school holiday season. This week’s selection is particularly suitable for children! My boys took me to see…

Smurfs 2

I have to admit, I love these little blue guys. I remember the TV series from when I was young, as well as the feature films, and of course it so happens that I have a whole army of Smurf figures–recently recovered from the depth of the attic and now cherished by my children. How’s that for lasting value?

So actually, I was quite looking forward to this cinema outing, and I wasn’t disappointed.

The story is a variation on a theme, as expected. Evil Gargamel is still intent on his quest for world- and Smurf-domination. It so happens that he is now a famous ‘magician’ touring the world with his show, and when the film starts, we find him in Paris. He has created a new brand of mini creatures whom he calls the Naughties. They look like Smurfs except they’re grey, just like Smurfette used to be.

Speaking of… the story begins when Smurfette has a birthday which she thinks everyone has forgotten. Feeling sad and abandoned and very much doubting her Smurf-ness, Smurfette wanders off into the woods where she gets ‘enchanted’ by her grey look-alike and Gargamel’s latest creation, the feisty Vexy. Smurfette lets herself be taken…and then taken in by Vexy and her counterpart, Hackus. While the three of them get up to all sorts of nonsense in Paris, Papa Smurf launches a rescue mission that involves the New York Winslows (played by Neil Patrick Harris and Jayma Mays) as well as Patrick Winslow’s estranged step-dad (Brendan Gleeson).

The Verdict?

“It was very, very, very good.” (My 8-year-old)

“It was amazing ~ I’m lost for words.” (My 6-year-old; and these were his exact words!)

Needless to say, I enjoyed it too. The story was strong enough to hold my interest, the special effects were convincing, and there were plenty of jokes to keep an adult audience entertained while the children burst with laughter at the more obvious meaning. I particularly enjoyed the shenanigans around the duck-formation and the slapstick scenes it brought about.

My kids were truly mesmerized, and I didn’t hear a peep from them for the entire duration of the film–which had the added benefit of leaving me quite chilled and relaxed for the first time that day. If you’re looking for something to entertain the kids on a rainy day (or even if it isn’t raining); or if you’re an adult with a nostalgic fondness for your own childhood Smurfs, Smurfs 2 is definitely worth seeing.

4 Stars!