"I hated this trip less than expected" Probably not a direct quote from Grouchy Smurf but it'll do for my summary of the movie itself. 30 years ago, when I was thirteen, I still watched Saturday morning cartoons and "Smurfs" was one I remember in particular seeing every week for that season and maybe the next. So when I heard about this film version, I dreaded the result. Well, while I could see some of the cynicism on the part of some of the story of them going to New York and all the trappings that entailed, overall this was a silly (though also pretty amusing) and poignant tribute to those little blue creatures to the point of some of the writers having the Neil Patrick Harris character acknowledging creator Peyo and the country of origin, Belgium. And at least having some classic '80s rock songs like the Run-DMC with Steven Tyler version of "Walk This Way" and AC/DC's "Back in Black" removes the taste of having that annoying Smurfs theme song (as even acknowledged by a homeless man humming the tune) constantly being run throughout the movie. And adding Jayma Mays and Sofia Vegara and having Hank Azaria as the villainous Gargamel add some charm. So on that note, The Smurfs was a somewhat pleasant time-waster.