Smurfs (2025)

Last night, on Paramount+, I watched the new “Smurfs” movie, which was theatrically released back in July but on streaming in yesterday. Seeing how I had seen the previous “Smurfs” movies, I was curious to see how this one was, since the previous movies were not well received, and I didn’t grow up watching the cartoon since I was born after. Will this be the movie that everyone will love or will it be another one to add to the bad list?

Smurfs has been on of the most nostalgic memories of those famous blue forest creatures filled numerous childhood with fun and happiness. Ganesh Aaglave said in his review, “And that’s why I was excited about this reboot, especially after the addition of a global sensation, who serves as a voice actor and producer.”

Talking about the plot, Smurfs is about Rihanna’s (one of my favorite singers) Smurfette and James Corden’s No Name Smurf, who are trying to discover the latter’s trait or specialty, which could define him.

When Papa Smurf (John Goodman) gets kidnapped by Gargamel and his long-lost brother Razamel (JP Karliak), Smurfette, No Name and their team (Sandra Oh, Alex Winter, Maya Erskine, Xolo Maridueña, Hugo Miller, Chris Miller, Kurt Russell, impressionist Rachel Butera, Billie Lourd, Spencer X, Chris Prynoski, and singer Marshmello), along with Papa Smurf’s brother Ken (Nick Offerman), enter the human world to save him and make sure the magic book (Amy Sedaris) is safe with them.

In this journey, No Name finds out that he has something which makes him an extraordinary Smurf. But how will they save Papa Smurf from the evil wizards?

Aaglave said, “Well, while the story is simple with social messages, the narrative somehow hampers it because of its slow pace, as even a crisp runtime of 90 minutes looks stretched.” The musical moments are good but it doesn’t blend completely well with some scenes.

Aaglave admitted, “Smurfs has been special for me, and while it successfully takes me back to nostalgic days but falters in creating that kind of magical impact, which was expected.” Director Chris Miller hasn’t lived up to the expectations with this famous cartoon’s reboot.

Looking at the entire picture, “Smurfs” is a one-time watch if you go with no expectations or might want to take your child for an animated film on streaming.

Overall, I found this to be ok. Yes, I like the story of No Name trying to find out what type of a Smurf he is and the story of Smurfette, especially with no human characters in here, but I still don’t think it was a good idea for them to be dimension hopping into the real world, albeit it being short. There’s also Octavia Spencer, Nick Kroll, Hannah Waddingham, Natasha Lyonne, and a brief cameo from late-night show host Jimmy Kimmel. I don’t think it will hurt to see this movie, but if you’re a fan of the original cartoon, I don’t think you will like it. Check it out if you want, but I don’t I will watch this again. Then again, I’ve seen all the Smurfs movies once and never again, so I guess they’re all just for a one-time viewing.

Thank you for joining in on this review today. Stay tuned this Friday for the continuation of “Happy Madison Month.”