The Smurfs (2011)

In the live-action/CGI hybrid “Smurfs” film, our Belgian-born heroes – blue, three apples high and each named for a character trait – are zapped to New York City, with evil wizard Garagmel in tow. There Papa, Smurfette, Brainy and – oh, you know what? Smurf this. I barely sat through the film, why bother with details. It took four screenwriters plus innumerable studio heads to drum up jokes about Smurfette as gang-banger, and toss the word “Smurf” into every sentence, and it’s from the director of “Scooby Doo.” Obnoxious even by kiddie fare standards. Record-breaking product placement. A New York so bland it could be the town I live in. Blah Smurf blah. Random thought: In all of New York, why must our heroes land in the arms of a white yuppie couple (Neil Patrick Harris and Jayma Mays)? Be it “Alvin and the Chipmunks” or “Garfield,” “Marmaduke” or “Yogi Bear,” or even “The Muppets,” these pop culture throw-back affairs -- mostly based on older comic strips or cartoons -- play like a master class in the “Master Race.” So few people of color. Over-reaction? Prove me wrong. D+