The Smurfs (trailer #3 review) Directed by: Raja Gosnell Starring: Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mays, Hank Azaria Rating: Not Yet Rated Release Date: July 29, 2011
TRAILER SCORE: 6/10
Thoughts by TSR: This trailer improves on the previous trailers by fleshing out the story a little more. The smurfs end up in New York City after Gargamel discovers their village. If you remember from the cartoon, the secret location of Smurf Village was the only thing that kept them out of the clutches of Gargamel. Well, that and his penchant for misadventure.
As in previous trailers, the best thing seems to be Neil Patrick Harris and Jayma Mays who make the most adorable couple ever. Some scenes look promising, like Harris mocking the use of "smurf" as a adjective. But a lot of the scenes of smurfs running around, knocking things over and making trouble look completely uninteresting. I'm not thrilled with the CG shots of Azrael either. I find cats making unnatural gestures more creepy than cute. Not sure about Azaria's Gargamel either. He definitely looks the part, but if he spends the whole movie being hit by busses and running into things I may end up groaning.
I know it's a movie for kids, but as someone who watched "The Smurfs" a lot as a child, I'd really like to be a little more interested.