The Smurfs 2

The Smurfs 2 panders to children, offering nothing more than a series of fart jokes and pratfalls, for the obvious purpose of cashing in on an already established fan base.

In this obnoxiously peppy 3D sequel, "smurf" is an all-purpose prefix that the anaemic script uses when words fail. Which is often.

Yes, this is the point in the summer when I outsource my critical judgment to my kids.

The sonorous voice of the late Winters in the role of wise Papa Smurf will have old-timers pine for the zaniness that comic genius could inspire in his prime. If only The Smurfs 2 had a smidgen of that madness.

The Smurfs 2 reaches an apex, of sorts, when Brendan Gleeson plummets from the sky into a dumpster, entirely naked and covered in Smurfs.

Smurfs 2 doesn't have to reach very high to meet our low expectations, but even then the strained, witless movie about thumb-sized, magical blue creatures proves to have a short grasp.

If any of this makes sense, please seek counseling now.

While the first film attempted to have a wider appeal, the sequel casts a smaller net... It simply feels as if filmmakers took a step backwards with this picture.

It's fairly run-of-the-mill in kid's film standards, and the screenwriters' lack of willingness to include anything even remotely edgy makes it difficult for adults to engage with it.

This was something that you could have done something cool with. In there, somewhere, there's a good Smurf movie. But for some reason, the director, the writers..they're just not doing it.