The Smurfs 2
Columbia Pictures | Release Date: July 31, 2013 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
34
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 30 Critic Reviews
Positive:
1
Mixed:
16
Negative:
13
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
70
VarietyScott FoundasJul 28, 2013
The genially goofy shenanigans, incredibly corny punchlines and Hank Azaria’s go-for-broke performance as the incompetent wizard Gargamel are very much the same ― an entirely welcome thing in a summer movie season full of so much apocalyptic Sturm und Drang. Read full review
60
The GuardianMike McCahillAug 2, 2013
The interplay between animated and live-action elements remains a selling point: Hank Azaria again gives exemplary pantomime as Gargamel. Read full review
60
Time Out LondonDerek AdamsJul 30, 2013
What isn’t so charming is Azaria’s irritatingly over-egged impersonation of the Child Catcher in ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ – that and the headache-inducing 3D. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleSteve DavisJul 31, 2013
Does the world need another movie about a bunch of miniature, blue-skinned humanoids with bulbous noses and perky bobtails; gnomelike creatures who wear floppy caps, live in mushrooms, and use the word “smurf” in every other sentence? Someone apparently thinks so. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanJul 31, 2013
The trouble with this stunted sequel is that the doughy, blobby-hatted Smurfs are mostly window dressing for an abrasive slapstick bash built around a tiresome kidnap plot, pancake-flat gags about Facebook and ''Smurf-holm Syndrome,'' and Neil Patrick Harris mugging his way through the role of a daddy with daddy issues who once again helps out our heroes. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesBruce IngramJul 30, 2013
The Smurfs 2 probably isn’t any worse than you might expect. On the other hand, it’s almost certainly not any better. It’s just a matter of figuring out how much punishment you’re willing to endure for the sake of the small child you’re taking to the movies. Read full review
50
Washington PostSean O’ConnellJul 30, 2013
Almost everything about Smurfs 2 signifies an improvement over the original. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesMark OlsenJul 30, 2013
Just as with the 2011 film "The Smurfs," the new The Smurfs 2 is a passable mediocrity. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeLoren KingJul 30, 2013
That the mushroom-dwelling blue creatures still manage to be endearing even in their second big-screen extravaganza (in 3-D, no less) is about the best that can be said of The Smurfs 2. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterJustin LoweJul 29, 2013
Beyond a few chuckle-worthy one-liners and some amusing visual comedy, there’s not much to engage adults, although the wee ones should be distracted enough. Read full review
40
The TelegraphTim RobeyAug 3, 2013
It’s just a big blue blur – too anodyne to elicit more than heavy sighs, too full of Smurfs not to recommend solely to the under-eights. Read full review
40
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriAug 1, 2013
It would be too much to say that there’s a good movie somewhere inside Smurfs 2 looking to get out. But it wouldn’t be too much to say that sometimes, the movie we do have tries harder than we might expect. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsJordan HoffmanJul 31, 2013
Unlike that earlier live action/animation hybrid, however, which had a cheery, almost campy New York fashion-industry setting, The Smurfs 2 is mostly loud and unfunny. Read full review
40
The New York TimesNeil GenzlingerJul 30, 2013
A new, not very engaging movie featuring a lot of blue skin and household-name voices. Read full review
40
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzJul 30, 2013
There are a few laughs here and there, along with a couple of jokes for grown-ups uncomfortably squeezed in. But this is a movie made for two groups: small children and people who have fond memories of the TV show. Read full review
40
Time OutMatt PatchesJul 30, 2013
Patient Adult Smurfs will be checking their watches as Excitable Child Smurfs lose themselves in the high jinks. Read full review
40
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottJul 29, 2013
It's the kind of cinematic cotton candy that youngsters will gobble up. Even more importantly, it's relatively quick, painless stuff when compared to so many other pint-sized entertainments out there. Read full review
38
USA TodayClaudia PuigJul 31, 2013
This insipid, and sometimes awkward, blend of animation, computer generation and live action wastes a ton of talent and lacks a true sense of whimsy. Read full review
38
McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreJul 30, 2013
Filled with Smurf wholesomeness, Smurf puns and posi-Smurf messages about never giving up “on family,” The Smurfs 2 still sucks Smurfberries. Read full review
35
Film.comLaremy LegelJul 31, 2013
The Smurfs 2 is not so much of a film as it is a collection of images and sounds that bludgeon you. Read full review
33
The A.V. ClubKevin McFarland Jul 30, 2013
The film undermines its rudimentary plot points at every turn with base humor. Read full review
25
New York PostKyle SmithJul 31, 2013
In the ’80s, I hated Ronald Reagan, Bob Dylan and the Smurfs. It’s comforting to know I got one thing right. Read full review
25
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Phil BrownJul 31, 2013
Only adults with 'Smurf-holm syndrome' could love this film. Read full review
25
The PlaylistDrew TaylorJul 30, 2013
The Smurfs 2 doesn't even pretend to be anything more but the most base, sugar-coated family entertainment, the kind of things that parents won't even be able to comprehend, much less enjoy. Read full review
25
Slant MagazineChris CabinJul 29, 2013
Raja Gosnell's particular zeal to modernize the Smurfs only develops this would-be family comedy into a shamelessly manipulative smurftastrophe. Read full review
20
Total FilmNeil SmithAug 2, 2013
It’s the same sappy drivel as before. Read full review
20
Village VoiceNick SchagerJul 30, 2013
Its tolerant messages remain buried beneath lame pop-culture references, hectic slapstick, fart jokes, and endless Smurf-puns that—Azaria's funny, over-the-top cartoon villainy aside—make one pine for the Smurfpocalypse. Read full review
20
The DissolveTasha RobinsonJul 30, 2013
The problem with Smurfs 2 isn’t the message, it’s the way the film repeats it so baldly and emphatically that even the youngest kids can get it. Also, the way it surrounds that message with groin-smashing and farting. Read full review
12
RogerEbert.comSimon AbramsAug 2, 2013
Despairingly bland. Read full review
0
San Francisco ChroniclePeter HartlaubJul 31, 2013
There's so much torture and suffering in this movie, it starts to feel like "Zero Dark Smurfy." Read full review
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