User Score
4.5 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 122 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 41 out of 122
  2. Negative: 52 out of 122

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  1. May 2, 2013
    1
    As a fan of the smurfs cartoon when I was a kid, it makes me weep for the youth today. This is not the smurfs I remember and unfortunately they have brought NPH into this mess.
  2. Mar 13, 2013
    3
    I was so disappointed when i first saw "The Smurfs" on the theaters. It's just silly and primitive, nothing special. The acting in the movie is terrible and the story is average. But still i recommend it to kids and some teens. My final PERSONAL score is 3/10
  3. Jan 30, 2013
    5
    The characters are very well done by computer, but what could have been a great movie, is a copy of 'Enchanted'.
  4. Jan 7, 2013
    6
    Aunque no sea una gran pelicula visualmente es perfecta. Es divertido ver a los pitufos de toda la vida tan reales interaccionando con nuestra realidad. Bello el pueblo Pitufo. No desmerecen los personajes humanos. Y bien definidos los Pitufos elegidos.
  5. Sep 28, 2012
    6
    The movie wasn't all that bad. but i think the story should have taken place in their own world. instead of new york. but what the h- smurf
  6. May 31, 2012
    9
    I Really Enjoyed This Movie! Its Great For Adults And The Whole Family!
    Katy Perry Does A A+ Job As Smurfette! In My Opinion One Of The Best Animated Films Of 2011!
  7. Feb 26, 2012
    8
    When I first heard about The Smurfs I wasn't looking forward to it, I've never watched the show and most movies like this turn out crappy, but I was surprised to find that this is a funny and enjoyable family movie that will rolling on the floor, the characters are really likable and the whole movie just has some sort of unique charm to it, it can be predictable at times, but that never really hindered the experience, so in closing if your looking for a good family movie, or have fond memories of The Smurfs in the past, then I do recommend watching, it's surprisingly great. Expand
  8. Jan 24, 2012
    8
    Don't let my profile name fool you even though i'm a big smurfs fan but this movie are pretty good.
    But still there's a smurf load of things to be improve for the sequel.
    The Smurfs has never about the run of the mill cartoon series back in the days it even one of the most
    underrated series ever.
    There's something about the smurfs that make you wanna smile every time you see them that also
    applies to this movie.
    It's one of the most enjoyable CG animation/live action movie of the 2011.
    I knew what they wanted,tried to reintroduce the smurfs to the younger audiences and also pleases the old fans of the series.
    There are always alot of risks to bring back cartoons form decades ago and make it popular again
    and the smurfs has proved again that they're truly the little people with big hit!
    It's the hollywood writers that made this movie to be so scary close to the same failed formula used
    in many similar films in recent years fortunately,It's the smurfs that's is the star of the show and makes
    you completely forgot about how linear the plot is.
    As I always say months ago that this movie were purely "Saved by The Smurfs!"
    Expand
  9. Jan 22, 2012
    3
    Keeping in mind that this film is mainly catering to a younger audience, I gave the film a 3. In reality, it deserves a zero. And that statement isn't even true - it's geared at the actually older audiences who actually watched The Smurfs as kids, since that's a very very old cartoon and today's generations probably don't even know them. Anyway, the film is just awful. There is nothing positive about it. It uses pathetic acting (mainly Gargamel and Sofia Vergara who is playing Gloria from "Modern Family" basically - or is she just playing Sofia Vergara?), horrible screenplay - the dialogue is pathetic - and it is just not very funny. There is something to be said about a film in which a character makes fun of "how annoying" the theme song is. The sad thing is - the song is very annoying (at least in the rendition in the film), as is the whole picture. As I said, I'd give it a zero, but realising that kids films are usually stupid as it is, I gave it a 3. Avoid it if you can, for your own good. Expand
  10. Jan 18, 2012
    3
    That movie is awful, it's humor isn't funny and the characters are really annoying. Smurfs were cool once, but their time is over, to be clear there were only two reasons, why I've watched it: Neil Patrick Harris and Neil Patrick Harris, only because of him, I'm giving this film 3 of 10, cause if there would be no Neil, I would give it 1 of 10
    P.S.
    The film is terrible
  11. Dec 17, 2011
    5
    The smurfs had an incredible talented cast and voice cast, who give fantastic performances, but the childish humor is so childish it ruins it. Even if it does have some clever jokes here and there. I give this film a 58% of a good movie.
  12. Dec 17, 2011
    7
    The Smurfs is a simple that offers you a nice good entertainment with pure cuteness .Compering with films like Alvin and the Chipmunks films , Hop and other films The Smurfs is one of the best entry in this genre(Live action+CGI Family) . Its not a comedy film that all expected but its an amazing family film . The animation was so cute and amazing . The "Cat" was so funny, Neil & Jayma was awesome together . The story is the one who made this film down . If only the would work on the story it would be super . & this is what i am hoping for the sequel . & yeah , i am really excited for the sequel . Hoping that they will work on the story . Expand
  13. Dec 13, 2011
    2
    I can't believe I sat through this. This movie was so bad it had me crying. It was as bad as my writing. The plot was horrible. The voice overs where wrongly cast. There was so much stuff that was really unnecessary. Why is Neil Patrick Harris' name in all his movies Patrick? If I where a producer I would not allow the actors to pick there own name. If the actor says otherwise then he's gone. I can see that the people that would like this are parents that grew up watching the cartoon. I'm glad I wasn't born back then. The story starts out right away when the smurfs are running from Gargamel. This is exactly what I don't like in movies. The whole movie had sloppy writing for the kids. I can't wait to see the kids that liked this grow up and realize how bad of a movie it is. Expand
  14. Nov 27, 2011
    5
    The Smurfs first movie is enjoyable for the younger audiences, though most adults will think this is a complete waste of time. I got to give the film some credit that they at least tried to make this movie heartwarming and fun. The Smurfs universe looks awesome, though you only see it for less than 15 minutes, while everything else is in New York City. There were many useless scenes, really corny humour and the ending was all cut and paste that ended too quickly. The only thing I liked about The Smurfs was Gargamel (played by Hank Azaria) and Azrael (voiced by Frank Welker). Those two practically got me entertained than the rest of the cast, even though some dumb and repetitive jokes felt pretty forced from those villains. The Smurfs is a film I will definitely skip. It's bad, but not extremely terrible. Expand
  15. Oct 26, 2011
    3
    Wow. Movie was bad but not horrible. The humor was childish. "Smurf" replaced every word (What the smurf?) And forever after that movie I have the urge to sing that horribly catchy Smurf song. Overall, this movie met my expectations - very low quality flick produced solely to entertain little kids and give stressed parents a break from their little demons. Nicely put GregTehBunny. Bad budget, worse movie. Expand
  16. Oct 19, 2011
    3
    A real disappointment of a story. I used to watch the Smurfs and they were fun to watch. It is scary that they have announced a further two sequels.
  17. Oct 18, 2011
    1
    As an European who grew up reading the Smurfs and loving it, it is the huggest disappointment Hollywood brought me this year. They made it in 3D ? Why i am not surprised ?
  18. Oct 12, 2011
    10
    This is my favorite movie of the year, only because it surprised me in the way that it kept my attention all the way through. And it wasn't blue people racist.
  19. Oct 11, 2011
    2
    movies like this make kids stupid, just because is for children it doesn´t mean that it have to be stupid, there are too many good children movies like Fantastic Mr Fox or Toy Story, please do not make your children watch this
  20. Oct 7, 2011
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Hot on the trail of the Smurfs, the wizard has no time for introspection, especially in such a faraway land as New York City. He almost had them, but once again, the little blue creatures were able to outsmart their age-old enemy, escaping this time in "a mechanical wagon"(taxi), by the seat of their white pants. For the moment, while Gargamel figures out the logistics of corralling his most hated nemeses, the wizened old necromancer can bide some time, thanks to the fortuitous hairball that Azarel coughs up. Entangled in the cat's mucus, to the wizard's chagrin, are strands of Smurfette's hair, the color of which is not what Gargamel had selected for the girl's coif the day that he created her. In "The Smurfette", an origin story of the patriarchal village's only female member(an episode from the NBC animate series "The Smurfs"), we learn that Smurfette started out as a brunette, a Jew, just like her father, who resembles a caricature born out of German propaganda, the bogeyman that Goethke makes the Judaic people out to be, for the benefit of a roomful of terrified Hitler youths, in "Europa, Europa", by describing the Hebrew people as having a "high forehead", "shifty eyes", and an "apelike walk", characteristics that aptly describe Gargamel's somewhat grotesque figure. In "The Smurfette", the wizard makes "exaggerated gestures", going so far as "waving his hands around in excitement" over the "Blue Bride of Gargamel," giving credence to Goethke's lies about the persecuted people whom Salomon Perel, known to his Nazi teacher and peers as "Jupp Peters", actually descends from, in the 1990 film about the arbitrary nature of identity, and survival during the Holocaust. "Garbage Smell"(referred as such in the movie) is the imaginary Jew who "leaps at your throat", which Goethke, on bended knee, demonstrates by squeezing a student's neck, seated at his desk, the resulting consequence of what happens "the minute your back is turned". Goethke, the master of spurious impersonations, in that moment, is a forerunner to Gargamel, a live-action cartoon figure made real through agitprop rhetoric and hateful hate. In "The Smurfs", Gargamel finds himself in a city where he wouldn't be touched by self-loathing, since back home, there's not another Jew to be found in the forest, whereas in the "Big Apple"(while creating Smurfette, he describes her as being "three apples high"), the lonely wizard, for the first time in his life, would be among his own kind, because down deep inside, he wants to be a Smurf(read: Aryan), too. "The Smurfette" is telling. From a blue lump of clay, the Smurf alchemy that Gargamel performs is indicative of the wizard's deep inferiority complex at the hands of Papa Smurf, who has the cult of personality to rule 99, whereas his autocratic influence holds sway over a single mangy cat. Broken down at the elemental level, Smurfette is made out of "sugar and spice(but nothing nice)", "a dram of crocodile tears", "half a packet of lies", and "the hardest stone for a heart", an ingredient list that seems to have been written out by an Aryan. To Gargamel, the Smurfette is a sort of wish-fulfillment; he gets to live vicariously through her, because being blue is what he most wishes for. In "Europa, Europa", Goethke considers the Nordic race as the gems of the earth, championing light hair and blue eyes as being "the most glowing example of creation". Likewise, Papa Smurf, as a result of sharing the same Nazi ideology, transforms the slightly dowdy, black-haired Smurfette into a terrifying vision of Aryan perfection, introducing the finished produced as being "new and improved", meaning that she is blonde and Nordic-looking. Salomon, in his effort to be more Aryan-like, reattaches the foreskin to his circumcised penis. Presumed to be East Baltic, "Jupp" is barely Aryan as is, therefore, barely human, similar to how Smurfette's new family of blue Aryan youth considers her to be barely a Smurf, due to the girl's naturally dark hair. But for survival's sake, she seduces her blue enemy by acting the part of the coquette, just like Charlotte Rampling in "The Night Porter, where the concentration camper sings a song made famous by Marlene Dietrich(star of "The Blue Angel"), while dancing topless with Nazi accouterments. Since blue is white in the Enchanted Forest, the blue moon ad that Patrick Winslow creates and Odilie approves for her cosmetics company, becomes an accidental endorsement for Aryan superiority, or rather, blue superiority, without their knowledge. Papa Smurf needs Gargamel; the totalitarian needs the wizard in order to keep himself in power. In all likelihood, he created the Jewish bogeyman, similar to how the elders in "The Village" invented the myth of the monster in the woods as a scare tactic against their people leaving. Papa needs his minions. Those smurfberries aren't going to pick themselves. Expand
  21. Oct 5, 2011
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I really really like this movie!!! Obviously, it is one of the best mixed films (3D animation plus actors)! Story, graphics, idea of subject - everything is so harmony and interesting, both for kids and grown-ups! So, thank You, creators, for making such good movies for us!!! Expand
  22. Sep 12, 2011
    1
    Skip-it - The Smurfs visiting New York is nothing more than a handful of recognizable voices buried beneath a heaping pile of boring blue baby junk.

    Read more reviews at http://www.examiner.com/movie-in-national/see-it-rent-it-skip-it-top-10-best-movies-theaters-friday-september-9th#ixzz1XkIybtWB
  23. Sep 7, 2011
    4
    I feel Hollywood stole my childhood ripped in open and filled it with promises of fame and glory, they have turned the Smurfs into little cam whores and mutilated a once great t.v show for kids beside they can never beat the best Smurf film ever........AVATAR (points for camera work, and effects)
  24. Aug 31, 2011
    6
    It's hard to screw up voice acting but the smurfs did it. This film's dialogue is garbage and so is the acting. However I did find the movie to be slightly entertaining because some of the humor was quite witty and smart. All in all the director failed but the screenwriter saved him.
  25. Aug 26, 2011
    1
    This film is just...God. Its so BAD!

    I can see why it would have been relevant back in the 80's, or heck, even the 90's, but now, in 2011? No. This film simply doesn't work. I feel that this film could have been better if it was called "The Smurfs, Only not the Smurfs From the 70s/80s That we Remember: The Movie". Seriously. This film slaughters the characters, weather you loved or hated
    them, that we knew from the show. If you thought Garfield, or Yogi Bear were a travesty of a film, then you don't even want to touch this film (not even with gloves on). Worst of all, the film uses an incredibly annoying gag that just doesn't work; this is what I like to call the 'mothersmurfer' gag. This is when the Smurfs use the word 'smurf' to replace other words, instead of calling someone a retard (NOT TO BE TAKEN OFFENSE TO - EXAMPLE HERE), they call them a smurftard. All the jokes that come from this are about as well written as a four year old's comedy act... If a four year old had curses and bad taste at their disposal. Its awful, don't waste your money, there are bound to be more family friendly films (that actually apply to the term family friendly) to show up this year. Skip this garbage. Expand
  26. Aug 23, 2011
    6
    I liked the movie! he's nice to relive the days of the smurfs, I did not watch the drawing I only have 13 years had already heard and liked and I was pretty excited to watch the movie it is fun for children but more a short film to''family ''
  27. Aug 19, 2011
    10
    this is a great movie which shows how animation has change throughout the years compared when the smurfs first started i rember watching the smurfs when i was a child brainy was defindaly my favorite becuase he was the smarty pants
  28. Aug 18, 2011
    1
    this movie was sooooooooooooooooooo bad, i was annoyed throughout the whole thing. Their was just nothing to like, the smurfs were annoying most of the time, the actors are horrible and Gargamel looks like a serious pedophile. I like the song for some reason, i have no idea why, but this movie was BAD. Annoying, stupid, and pointless. 1/10
  29. Aug 17, 2011
    0
    This was the worst movie I've seen since... ever. I've seen better movies on disney channel. I mean, even for kids it's mediocre at best. The plot line was so stupid. The only thing that kept the movie from falling apart was the decent actors, and the cute little blue people. There isn't even any comedy at all. Nothing in this movie would appeal to the parents being forced to watch it. If you desire to see a movie that will help you have a wonderful nap, the smurfs is the right choice for you! Plus, the villain lokked like a creeper and gave me a severe migraine. Expand
  30. Aug 13, 2011
    8
    Ok, i just want to get one thing clear before you judge me: i have only seen a couple episodes of the Smurfs. Acknowledging that, i just want to say that it wasn't the best movie, and it wasn't a great movie. BUT! It beat my expectations by a good deal. It isn't a kids movie!!!! Don't say that this is a little kids movie and just not see it at all! Now, if you don't like the smurfs, that's fine. But don't judge a book by it's cover! Expand
  31. Aug 10, 2011
    2
    One of the worst movies I've seen, and not a good children's movie. Please, for the love of god America, stop going to see **** movies so that they'll stop being made.
  32. Aug 5, 2011
    2
    I know the film was going to be dumb but I didn't know it was going to be stupider then Garfield and the Chipmunks combined. Its lame its horrible and the amount of references to the word smurf is just annoying. It's smurftarded!!!
  33. Aug 5, 2011
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Expand
  34. Aug 4, 2011
    8
    What the Smurf! The critics have really failed to appreciate all the subtle humor in this great film. There is the Smurf family tale and the human family thread spinning through it that gives it depth. I thoroughly enjoyed the setting in NYC as it takes the absurdity of "little blue men," puts it in your everyday life, and validates it. Who wouldn't feel good after leaving the theatre.
  35. Aug 4, 2011
    10
    This movie was really really good, it was like Alvin and the chipmunks but in this movie it is Smurf in it :). but i reccomend this movie to everyone because it was funny and many action in it.. It is good that they did this movie with Smurfs i want a Second :D
  36. Aug 3, 2011
    5
    I'm not sure making a smurf movie would be such a good idea, especially in 2011. If it was released back when the smurfs were popular, it would of worked out. I'm not saying that I hate them, on the contrary, I used to like the smurfs when I was a kid. I don't understand why they brought them back. It just ruins the reputation of the smurfs. The people who would be interested to see this are little kids, which surprisingly makes a good family movie. It wasn't that bad. This got to be the movie that surprised me the most this year. Of course, there are some flaws. It has '' cheesy '' humor, the villain Gargamel (played by Hank Azaria) was stupid and has other '' cliche '' stuff that you would expect. This kind of entertainment is useless and annoying these days. Hollywood producers, directors or whatever, should stop making these type of movies. Also, has you probably already know, Katy Perry does the voice of Smurfette. She actually did a good job. But it starting to get on my nerves to see singers appearing in movies (it's okay if they can actually act), leave that to the actors. Anyway, I saw this movie with my little brother, and he liked it. So this movie may be enjoyable for kids, even I surprisingly thought it was better then I expected. At some points, I even managed to get entertained a bit. Expand
  37. Aug 3, 2011
    10
    ...The new story goes something like this. The Smurfâ
  38. Aug 2, 2011
    1
    This movie is a monument to everything that's wrong about our society. It uses celebrity clout (Katy Perry, I'm looking at you) to sell tickets instead of actually putting work into the things that matter in a film like clever jokes and character development. Instead, a joke that featured heavily in the film was the - take a word and replace it with 'smurf' - gag which made me want to gouge my eyes out with a rusty spoon. Sure, it was a big part of the TV show as well, but we as a culture have moved on from that kind of entertainment. Overall, this movie met my expectations - very low quality flick produced solely to entertain little kids and give stressed parents a break from their little demons. Expand
  39. Jul 31, 2011
    1
    Why. Just why is all I really have to say. The last time these guys were good was back in the 70s and 80s. There is no point in resurrecting these characters and then just completely ruin what made the old cartoon great.
  40. Jul 30, 2011
    6
    this movie will do a decent home entertainment business. good theatrical opening assures that there will be a number of people who rent the dvd and watch it on television. also likely to have a decent international debut.
  41. Jul 29, 2011
    7
    This movie was so cute! The little blue Smurfs are hilarious and adorable. I love Smurfette. I recomend this movie as a movie to see if you have kids that enjoy cute characters and a good villain. This is a great family movie!
Metascore

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 22 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 22
  2. Negative: 11 out of 22
  1. Reviewed by: Nick Schager
    Aug 2, 2011
    30
    Gosnell directs as if every scene must be either a nauseating roller-coaster ride or a syrupy melodrama, resulting in a seesawing tone that's not stabilized by the presence of Neil Patrick Harris.
  2. Reviewed by: Amy Nicholson
    Jul 29, 2011
    20
    Looking at the obnoxious TV ads for The Smurfs, it's easy to dismiss the film as a shrill, joyless exercise in special effects without substance. It's even easier after actually seeing it.
  3. Reviewed by: Keith Uhlich
    Jul 29, 2011
    20
    Smurftastic! Now where's that noose?