The new Smurfs film features Rihanna as the voice of Smurfette, but her appearance is overshadowed by the lack of music and unengaging storyline. The film’s script, written by Pam Brady, relies on bland humor and only shines in brief scenes featuring the villainous characters Razamel and Gargamel.
The story follows No Name Smurf, voiced by James Corden, as he discovers he has cosmic powers that become crucial to saving Papa Smurf from the evil wizards. However, the film plods along for over an hour and a half, with uninteresting plot twists and only occasionally interesting surreal scenes featuring alt-universe dimensions.
A standout character, Sound Effect Smurf, brings some humor to the film through his sound-based antics. Despite this, the overall story feels uninspired, suggesting that the filmmakers assumed a children’s film didn’t need an engaging narrative. With Rihanna’s cameo being one of the few highlights, the new Smurfs film is a disappointing effort.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jul/16/smurfs-review-rihanna-james-corden-animation