The Smurfs 3D

This could’ve been a cute movie, but director Raja Gosnell (the cinematic criminal behind atrocities such as the Scooby-Doo movies and the first Big Momma’s House) has made a loud, annoying mess out of the Smurfs story. When Gargamel chases after a bunch of Smurfs, they travel through a portal and wind up in modern-day Manhattan, where Neil Patrick Harris awaits. Rather than venturing out and taking in the city, the Smurfs spend the film bitching about going home. One would think a Smurfs movie would be cute and cuddly, but this features a lot of screaming, some annoying slapstick, and Hank Azaria embarrassing himself under a lot of makeup as Gargamel. I did like a few moments with Azrael the cat (a well-done special-effect combo of a real cat and CGI), and some of the 3-D imagery is pretty when the movie slows down—but that’s about it for good parts.