The Smurfs 2 (2013) 💙

A Smurf-Elicious sequal? Oh god they got me doing the puns now.

Let’s start by showing y’all the trailers shall we?

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🟦 Non-Spoiler Plot Overview

So somehow… we’re back.

Gargamel (Hank Azaria) is still out here failing successfully, now famous for magic tricks, and still obsessed with capturing the Smurfs.

So what does he do?

He creates two new Smurf-like creatures called the Naughties, kidnaps Smurfette, and once again tries to figure out how to turn them into real Smurfs.

Meanwhile, the Smurfs head back into…

New York.

Again.

Because clearly we did not learn anything from the first movie.

And also, we have to deal with Neil Patrick Harris having family drama.

Because apparently that’s still a priority.


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🎭 Character Rundown

Gargamel (Hank Azaria)

Let’s just get this out of the way.

He is STILL the best part of this series.

Not just this movie—this entire series.

Hank Azaria is giving 110% in a movie that deserves about 20%.

He’s loud, over-the-top, ridiculous, and fully committed to the chaos.

And the funniest running joke that the movie doesn’t even realize is a joke:

👉 he keeps creating Smurfs
👉 and they KEEP turning good

Smurfette? Turned good.
The Naughties? Also turn good.

At this point, this man is not a villain.

He is: 👉 single-handedly expanding Smurf civilization

Honestly, Papa Smurf should send him a letter like:

“Hey, appreciate the help. Keep doing whatever it is you’re doing wrong.”

Because that’s all he does 😭


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The Naughties

These characters are the perfect example of:

👉 cool concept
👉 terrible execution

They’re called the Naughties.

So naturally, you expect: mischief
chaos
actual bad behavior

Instead, we get: one character with attitude
and one character whose entire personality is fart noises

That’s not “naughty.”

That’s: 👉 mildly annoying

And the movie treats them like they’re some kind of dangerous influence.

No.

They’re barely a threat.


—

Smurfette

This is where the movie completely loses me.

Her entire emotional arc is built on the idea that:

👉 her friends forgot her birthday

Except…

there is ZERO reason for her to think that.

She’s been with them for years. They’ve celebrated before.

So why does she immediately jump to: 👉 “my entire family forgot about me”

And then—this is where it gets insane—

she gets kidnapped…

and then befriends her kidnappers.

Because they’re nice to her.

I’m sorry, what??

There is a HUGE difference between: feeling insecure about where you belong

and

👉 trusting the people who literally kidnapped you

And the movie just skips that entire middle ground.

So instead of feeling emotional, it feels like: 👉 the script forced her to switch sides for convenience


—

Patrick (Neil Patrick Harris) & Family

And somehow…

this subplot is even worse than the first movie.

Now we’ve got: 👉 “I’m mad at my dad because he didn’t let me have a pet”

Even though he was allergic.

So the dad was literally doing the responsible thing.

And the movie treats it like: 👉 “wow, what a terrible father”

This is one of the most forced conflicts I’ve ever seen.

It doesn’t feel natural. It doesn’t feel earned. It feels like the script needed drama and just grabbed the first idea it could find.

The dad actor is fine. He’s doing his best.

But the writing around him is just… no.


—

The Kid Actors

Yeah… not great.

The delivery feels stiff. The reactions feel off.

Nothing really lands.


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⏱️ Pacing / Story Flow

This movie is a mess.

It’s juggling: Smurfette’s identity
the Naughties
the kidnapping
the birthday misunderstanding
the dad subplot
returning to New York AGAIN

And none of it is given enough time to actually work.

Everything feels rushed, forced, or underdeveloped.


—

❌ The BIG Problems

🎂 The Birthday Trope

I am so tired of this.

Especially when it makes no sense.

There is no clear indication her friends forgot.

And yet she spirals immediately.

This trope only works when it’s earned.

Here?

It’s just lazy.


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😐 “Naughty = Evil” Logic

This movie’s moral system is basically:

👉 naughty = bad
👉 bad = evil

No nuance. No gray area.

So what?

You make a fart joke and now you’re on the path to becoming a Sith??

Relax.


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🤝 Befriending Kidnappers

Still one of the most baffling parts.

She gets kidnapped…

and immediately trusts them.

Because they’re nice.

That’s not development.

That’s a shortcut.


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🧠 The Naughties Don’t Even Match Their Name

They’re not naughty.

They: kidnap her (okay)
then treat her kindly
talk about being a family

So what exactly is “naughty” here?

The label makes no sense.


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💭 Final Thoughts

This movie doubles down on everything that didn’t work.

More forced emotion. More weak humor. More nonsense logic.

And somehow…

even less charm.

The ONLY consistent positive across both films?

👉 Gargamel.

He is the glue holding this entire mess together.


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⭐ Rating

2/10

+2 for Gargamel
Everything else? Gone.


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⚠️ Spoiler Warning

Alright… now let’s really get into it.


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🚨 Spoilers (Expanded)

So the entire movie hinges on Smurfette being taken and this idea that she might turn or choose a different path.

That could have been interesting.

But the problem is, the entire emotional foundation is broken from the start.

Everything comes back to this idea that her friends forgot her birthday. That’s the trigger for everything. That’s what sends her into this emotional spiral.

Except the movie never earns that.

There’s no buildup. No pattern of neglect. No reason for her to believe this.

So when she starts feeling hurt, it doesn’t feel justified—it feels like the movie is forcing her into that emotional state so the rest of the plot can happen.

And because of that, everything that follows feels off.

When she meets the Naughties, this should be a moment of hesitation. She should be conflicted. She should question them, resist them, struggle with trusting them.

Instead, the movie skips all of that.

She bonds with them almost immediately.

They treat her nicely, they talk about being a family, and suddenly there’s this connection that the movie wants you to believe is meaningful.

But it doesn’t feel earned.

It feels like a shortcut.

At the same time, Gargamel is still doing exactly what he’s always done. He’s trying to create Smurfs, trying to control them, trying to figure out the formula—and failing every single time.

And the movie doesn’t even acknowledge how ridiculous this is.

This is the third time this has happened.

Third.

At this point, it’s not even a plan. It’s just repetition.

And then we get to the third act.

This is where everything should come together. This is where the emotional arcs should pay off. This is where the stakes should feel real.

Instead, it just turns into noise.

We get the Ferris wheel scene, which is supposed to be this big, dramatic climax. Characters are in danger, things are happening, there’s movement, there’s tension… or at least the movie thinks there is.

But it doesn’t feel earned.

Because the characters haven’t grown.

The conflict hasn’t been properly built.

The emotional stakes are based on a misunderstanding that never made sense in the first place.

So when everything starts happening, it just feels like: things are happening because the movie needs to end.

Not because the story led us there.

And then, just like that, everything resolves.

The Naughties turn good. Again. No surprise there.

Gargamel fails. Again. No surprise there.

Smurfette goes back to her family, everything is fine, and the movie wraps everything up neatly like nothing actually mattered.

There’s no real payoff. No emotional release. No moment where you feel like the journey was worth it.

It just ends.

And when you step back and really think about it, the whole thing feels like a loop.

Gargamel tries something. It fails. It accidentally benefits the Smurfs. And then we move on like nothing happened.

The only consistent thing in this entire movie… is that Gargamel is still the most entertaining part.

And honestly?

That says everything.