The Smurfs 2 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Review
After sitting through the first version of THE SMURFS, and feeling dumber for it, I was a little saddened (though not surprised) to find out that a sequel was on its way. Thankfully, THE SMURFS 2 only made $71 million (I know, can you believe it?) at the box office, which is a far cry from the $105 million budget, so hopefully there won’t be a third movie with the ridiculous name like THE SMURFS 3: YOU’VE BEEN SMURFED on its way. I feel bad for parents who will have to watch this film multiple times because their kids have become obsessed with the movie. I only hope that I’m strong enough to only stick Pixar movies into the Blu-ray player when my kids hit that age where only one movie will satisfy.
In THE SMURFS 2 the audience finds themselves in the City of Lights (aka Paris, France) where we find that the ridiculous villain Gargamel (played by Hank Azaria) has become a world famous magician and is still trying to get his hands on the Smurf’s essence with a little help from his new “children” who are called Naughties. Meanwhile, back in Smurf Village, Smurfette is getting ready to celebrate her Smurfday (sigh) but is feeling conflicted because she’s not sure she belongs with the Smurfs, as she too was created by Gargamel. Eventually, Smurfette gets Smurfnapped (I’m assuming that’s a word in this world) and of course Papa Smurf and his gang have to save her with the help of their human friends, the Winslow’s (Neil Patrick Harris and Jayma Mays).
It’s almost harsh and pointless to be super critical with a kids movie like THE SMURFS 2, because you pretty much expect it to be average or below average. It’s not like the Smurfs were ever cherished source material. After all, most of us only know the Smurfs from the little immovable figurines we had when we were kids. But it’s still frustrating to sit through such a dumbed down film, clearly willing to sacrifice quality for some toilet humor.
The one saving grace in THE SMURFS 2 is Neil Patrick Harris who always steals the movie whenever he’s on screen. It can only be assumed that he received a massive amount of money to do these films, or he’s doing them so his two kids can watch their dad on screen and be happy. The voice work isn’t bad either, but having to hear the word “Smurf” morphed into a verb all the time gets old, and for heaven’s sake can we please get rid of that ridiculous CGI cat? He’s just weird and creepy.
To sum up, THE SMURFS 2 isn’t a work or art, but it isn’t too terrible to watch once. Maybe the best thing about it is that for the most part, it’s safe enough for the little ones. There’s also a decent message in there about being comfortable with who you are and having self confidence, which are good lessons for every child.
4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: This is another Ultra HD release that makes some minor improvements over a very impressive Blu-ray. But again, the differences are in the details and there’s nothing that’s going to jump out and wow you if you’re not looking for it. For me, the major difference here is within the specific details about each of the Smurfs. The Ultra HD release shows just how much detail each Smurf received in terms of texture and color variations that wasn’t evident on the Blu-ray. Non-CGI detail is also enhanced, from the textures of human clothing to the dirt and grime found on the streets.
Audio: THE SMURFS 2 features an equally great audio track.
There are no 4K exclusive special features, but it does come with the Blu-ray and you can read our Blu-ray review by clicking the link: THE SMURFS 2 Blu-ray review.
Click 4K Ultra HD to read more of our 4K reviews.