The new Smurfs movie is an absolute mess. The animated film veers wildly in tone and style, jumping between a dozen different animation techniques and comedic approaches. Slapstick, situational humor, and wordplay are all attempted, but nearly every joke falls flat.
That is despite a few mildly amusing moments, like the “Sound Effects” Smurf and the rapid-fire introduction of the one-note characters. Unfortunately, those brief highlights can’t save the film from feeling like a desperate, kitchen-sink effort. By the end, I was starting to think Gargamel might be the sympathetic one, as I cheered for him and his brother’s victory.
If you really want to punish your kids, take them to see Chris Miller’s film, which would be an act of Smurfs and punishment.

The story follows the Smurfs, who are living their best lives in a hidden village within a magical forest. Papa Smurf (John Goodman) walks around like a boss—rocking a front-facing hat, fitted shirt, well-groomed beard, and tight pants—truly a leader among men in Smurfland. That said, the population is 99% male, with Smurfette (voiced by superstar Rihanna) as the sole female Smurf in the entire village.
Everyone knows their role and place in the magical forest. Personally, it sounds more like communist propaganda. However, there is one Smurf—No Name (James Corden)—who’s having an identity crisis. No Name doesn’t have a “thing.” (However, he complains constantly, so we could have called him “Whiney” Smurf, and call it a day.) Hefty Smurf, you see, is strong. Vanity Smurf is vain. Brainy Smurf is smart. Yes, it’s that kind of writing. The kind that refuses to go beyond skin deep and is as three-dimensional as a triangle with body dysmorphia.
However, on a brief walkabout, No Name taps into his inner B.o.B. and Rivers Cuomo and discovers he is, in fact, Magic Smurf. The magic had been inside him all along. Papa Smurf is confounded, unsure how he failed to notice this. When No Name demonstrates his power by shooting energy beams into the sky, it triggers an alert. Razamel—Gargamel’s brother (both voiced by JP Karliak)—detects the burst of unusual energy, exposing the hidden location of the magical forest.

Pam Brady wrote the script, which takes an unusual turn when Papa Smurf is abducted, leaving only No Name with the power to bring him back. It’s the kind of plot twist you’d expect in a sequel, not the opening act. The film then shifts into a fish-out-of-water comedy-adventure, as a brave group heads to Paris to rescue their patriarch. This is where things begin to feel scattershot, with the movie constantly jumping between genres and visual styles, resulting in the animated equivalent of whiplash.
That is perhaps how shocking the final product is. Brady is well known for comedic escapades with Trey Parker and Matt Stone, helping them pen the gut-bustingly hilarious South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, and Team America: World Police. Heck, even Hot Rod, in my opinion, is a misunderstood comedy classic. At some point, you would hope someone would bring the origin story of the Smurfs with some reverence, since Peyo’s vision was born out of wartime politics.
The script had the potential to explore deeper themes of identity and moral ambiguity while still delivering clever, light-hearted humor to appeal to its core young audience. However, Brady’s jokes fall flat almost immediately after the opening credits. The comic delivery from Corden and Rihanna feels forced, lacking any natural charm. What’s left is more like a chaotic storyboard—so many ideas are thrown at the screen in short bursts that the film becomes humorless, disjointed, and stagnant.

Frankly, Miller and Brady’s screenplay is in the middle of an existential crisis that never finds their way. Some may argue that’s the point—but that would be giving the film too much credit. It never fully embraces the heart or themes behind No Name’s story. He’s experiencing an existential crisis, yet the film glosses over it. Movies like this, especially those aimed at children, should teach a lesson or convey meaningful themes while still entertaining. Instead, the story never truly revolves around this core idea, making Smurfs feel like an exercise in cinematic futility.
However, this isn’t about my tastes, as I take note of the kids’ reaction at the Saturday morning screening. Most were bored, and very few laughed, which made me think they either hated the movie or were a gathering of ADHD children’s self-help group. Simply put, Smurfs is not worth watching, and certainly not worth theater prices, because the film fails to create something meaningful and entertaining for family viewing. The movie is a messy and unfocused jumble of thoughts (I wouldn’t dare call them ideas) with no coherence or payoff.
Smurfs will debut exclusively in theaters on July 18, 2025, courtesy of Paramount Pictures.
The latest reboot of the Smurfs franchise never shakes off its existential crisis.
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GVN Rating 2
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I am a film and television critic and a proud member of the Las Vegas Film Critic Society, Critics Choice Association, and a 🍅 Rotten Tomatoes/Tomato meter approved. However, I still put on my pants one leg at a time, and that’s when I often stumble over. When I’m not writing about movies, I patiently wait for the next Pearl Jam album and pass the time by scratching my wife’s back on Sunday afternoons while she watches endless reruns of California Dreams. I was proclaimed the smartest reviewer alive by actor Jason Isaacs, but I chose to ignore his obvious sarcasm. You can also find my work on InSession Film, Ready Steady Cut, Hidden Remote, Music City Drive-In, Nerd Alert, and Film Focus Online.