--- title: "The Smurfs: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-smurfs/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-smurfs" critics_score: 38 critics_reviews: 15 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Smurfs (2011): what the critics said Critics' score 38 from 15 reviews: 0 positive, 5 mixed, 10 negative. Most critics find The Smurfs lazy and cynical, and none of the fifteen reviews recommends it. The complaints cluster around the script: weak jokes, tired Smurf wordplay, a dull advertising-executive subplot and heavy product placement. The one department that draws consistent praise is Hank Azaria’s Gargamel and his animated cat, which Total Film and The AV Club single out as the most entertaining thing on screen. Slant Magazine also admires the design of the village and the Smurfs themselves, even while judging the human characters a failure. The spread is wide at the bottom. A handful of critics, IndieWire among them, call it tolerable and mildly self-aware, a harmless summer diversion for small children. Others, the Guardian and Los Angeles Times chief among them, see something closer to a disaster, faulting the clumsy fit between animation and live action and the decision to treat the Smurfs as mythical. Nobody argues it works for adults. ## IndieWire — Christopher Campbell Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 29 July 2011. Campbell finds the film a tolerable, mildly improved take on the city-set fish-out-of-water comedy. He praises its self-aware handling of the Smurfs, while criticizing the pervasive product placement and tourism advertising. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/news/general/the-smurfs-gets-lost-inside-the-biggest-product-placement-ever-226728/) ## Screen Daily — Tim Grierson Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 28 July 2011. Screen Daily’s page identifies this as Tim Grierson’s review, but the paywall hides his verdict. No praise or complaint is visible in the supplied text. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/the-smurfs/5030318.article) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page could not be accessed, so its critical verdict is unavailable. No specific praise or criticism can be verified from the available content. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/29/movies/the-smurfs-review.html) ## Total Film — Rosie Fletcher Rating 3/5. 29 July 2011. The review finds the film diverting and weird but harmless. It singles out Hank Azaria and his sidekick cat as the movie’s most entertaining elements, while calling the Smurfs forgettable. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-smurfs-1-review/) ## The AV Club — Tasha Robinson Rating D+. 28 July 2011. Robinson finds the film exhausting and cynically calculated, with little appeal for adults without children. She singles out Hank Azaria’s committed Gargamel performance as a bright spot amid fake-looking effects and strained comedy. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-smurfs-1798169118) ## Time Out — David Jenkins Rating 2/5. 8 August 2011. Jenkins gives the film two out of five stars, indicating an unfavorable verdict. The accessible page provides no review text, so it does not identify a specific element praised or criticized. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-smurfs) ## Slant Magazine — Ed Gonzalez Rating 1.5/4. 28 July 2011. Gonzalez condemns the film as a boring, lazy failure that drains the magic from the Smurfs. He praises the detailed design of the village and Smurfs, but says the human characters sink the film. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-smurfs/) ## Evening Standard — The Standard Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. The critic finds the film likely to please children but a struggle to sit through. They single out its coherent story as a modest strength, while the Smurfs’ journey proves tedious. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-smurfs-in-3d-review-7426227.html) ## The Hollywood Reporter — THR Staff Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 28 July 2011. The critic finds the film numbingly generic and largely mirthless. They single out its uninspired script and weak jokes as the main shortcomings. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/smurfs-film-review-216564/) ## Vulture — Logan Hill Fi1m's normalised score 15/100 (inferred from the text). 25 July 2018. Hill dismisses the film as lazy, clueless, and built around tired franchise jokes. He particularly criticizes its crude smurf wordplay and the uninteresting advertising-executive subplot. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2011/07/review_the_smurfs_is_a_smurfin.html) ## Los Angeles Times — Betsy Sharkey Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 29 July 2011. Sharkey calls the film a 3-D disaster rather than a family comedy. She particularly faults its flat-footed chase scenes and clumsy interaction between animation and live action. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-jul-29-la-et-smurfs-20110729-story.html) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 11 August 2011. Bradshaw delivers a scathing verdict, dismissing the film as painfully bad despite its framing as harmless summer silliness. He singles out the reimagining of the Smurfs as mythical rather than fictional as one of its many horrors. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/aug/11/smurfs-review) ## Digital Spy — Ben Lee Rating 2. 10 August 2011. The critic finds the film underwhelming, lazy and too content to play it safe. They praise its strong voice cast and occasional moments of genuine humor, while noting Neil Patrick Harris’s efforts to lift the weak screenplay. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a333939/the-smurfs-review/) ## The Playlist — The Playlist Staff Rating D-. 28 July 2011. The critic finds the film cynical, uncreative, and poorly aimed at both children and adults. They single out the amusingly animated cat as a rare bright spot. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/review-the-smurfs-hopes-your-kids-like-aerosmith-bodily-functions-tim-gunn-20110728/) ## Eye for Film — Jennie Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 8 August 2011. Kermode finds the film apologetic, uninspired and unlikely to entertain anyone beyond very young children. She praises Smurfette’s lively characterization, but faults the clumsy humor and story that has lost its heart. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-smurfs-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-smurfs.md