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Hype Malaysia
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hype Malaysia
‘Smurfs' (2025) Review: Rihanna Powers A Blue-Hued, Music-Fuelled Reboot
La la la la la la—the glizzy blue creatures are back, louder, weirder, and bolder than ever. This vibrant reboot yanks the Smurfs out of their comfort forest and hurls them into a kaleidoscopic adventure full of teamwork, mischief, and Rihanna-led musical numbers. It's part multiverse romp, part pop concert, and entirely unserious—in the best way. What follows is a sugar rush of colour and chaos that doesn't always make sense, but never really needs to. It all kicks off with that familiar jingle—the classic Smurf chorus echoing through a peaceful village. Then, BAM: the vinyl scratches, the beat drops, and suddenly we're in a remix. A pulsing pop-dance track takes over, announcing that this film isn't here to coast on nostalgia. Instead, it's remixing the brand with glitter, lore, and musical energy. Now, this isn't the Smurfs' first time on the big screen. Back in the early 2010s, we got those New York-set live-action hybrids starring Neil Patrick Harris and Katy Perry as Smurfette. Those entries were best remembered for awkward human/Smurf bonding and a mildly alarming fixation on Smurfette's hair. 'Smurfs' is technically still a hybrid too—it's set across real-world locations like Paris, Munich, and the Australian Outback. And yes, there are CGI kangaroos. This time around, the humans mostly fade into the background. The Smurfs run the show. And visually, the film leans fully into vivid comic-book animation layered over striking live-action backdrops. Visually speaking, it's a welcome return to the source. The Smurfs now resemble the original creations of Belgian cartoonist Peyo—rounder, livelier, and full of expressive charm. They're also unbearably cute—like plushies brought to life with attitude. The animation embraces a bouncy, squash-and-stretch style, enhanced by action lines, zippy sound effects, and comic speech bubbles that sometimes pop into the 3D space and physically knock the Smurfs around. Meanwhile, before the mayhem kicks in, the film lays down its lore. Long ago, four magical books kept balance in the universe. But when a league of intergalactic evil wizards—Asmodius (Octavia Spencer), Chernobog (Nick Kroll), Jezebeth (Hannah Waddingham), and the particularly persistent Razamel (JP Karliak)—decide to erase all goodness, the books become targets. One of them, the sassy and sentient Jaunty Grimoire (Amy Sedaris), manages to escape and has been hiding ever since. Eventually, we shift to present-day Smurf Village. That's where we meet No Name (James Corden)—a Smurf without a defining trait, which in this world is a full-blown identity crisis. Every Smurf has something: baking, yelling, and doing sound effects. But No Name? Nothing sticks. He tries cobbling. He tries shark taming. Yeah, he even tries just… trying. Still, no dice. Thankfully, Smurfette (Rihanna) is always in his corner. She encourages him to keep experimenting. But in a place where your name is literally tied to your talent, not fitting in hits hard. Then comes a surprisingly emotional musical number. No Name sings about being the odd one out. That moment sparks something. Literally. He starts glowing, levitating, and—without meaning to—activates Jaunty Grimoire's hidden magic. That surge sends out a signal, and Razamel, ever watchful, locks on. Things escalate quickly. Razamel wastes no time. He rips a portal above Smurf Village, triggering a tidal wave of chaos. Smurfs get sucked into the void like blue jellybeans. Papa Smurf (John Goodman) tries to keep the village grounded. But just before he's pulled into the swirl, he shouts one final instruction: 'Find Ken!' It's cryptic, but it's all the Smurfs have left to go on. What follows is a whirlwind. The Smurfs launch into a globe-trotting mission packed with set pieces, songs, and rapid costume changes. It's chaotic, colourful, and honestly kind of adorable. One minute they're swinging through vinyl records, the next they're dodging kangaroo stampedes in the Australian Outback—yes, there are CGI kangaroos, didn't we say that before? The pace rarely slows down—sometimes to its detriment—but it stays energetic. Whether they're portal-hopping, glitter-dancing, or rapping to save the day, there's always a beat drop and a wink. Comparisons to Trolls are hard to avoid. Both films follow a duo—Branch and Poppy over there, No Name and Smurfette over here—on a vibrant, music-fueled journey through weird worlds. They're small. They're misunderstood. And they sing their way toward self-acceptance. Heck, some poofy hairy characters even show up later on. But where Trolls keeps its structure tidy and emotional arcs a little more clear, 'Smurfs' embraces the messy. It's more chaotic and less concerned with coherence than it is with colour and vibes. Still, this reboot feels more in tune with the spirit of the Smurfs than past efforts. It's not the classic version, sure—but expecting them to stay stuck in the '80s forever isn't exactly fair. And compared to the uncanny CGI cat that screeched through Times Square in the last franchise? We'll take vinyl portals any day. Yes, it still 'Roger Rabbits' its way through real settings. But here's the twist—the style never shifts. The Smurfs remain animated in every scene, whether they're tiptoeing across cobblestones or bounding through Outback dust. That consistency makes all the difference. As for the plot, it's your standard kid-friendly recipe. A chosen one. A glowing destiny. A big bad. And yes, a climactic moment where friendship unlocks the ultimate power. It's familiar, bordering on predictable. But 'Smurfs' isn't trying to be 'Inside Out'. It's here to entertain and get the kids bopping in their seats. In that, it mostly succeeds. The animation bursts with energy. The transitions snap and swirl. Visually, it's like licking a rainbow popsicle while bouncing on a trampoline. Along the way, the Smurfs cross paths with an ever-growing roster of oddball characters—like Natasha Lyonne's poofy-sphere Mama Poots, and eventually Ken (Kurt Russell), revealed to be Papa's long-lost brother. The lore keeps dropping, the cast keeps expanding, and the weirdness only escalates. Oh, and yes—Gargamel is still here in this version, along with a not-CGI – and frankly, cuter – Azrael. But this time, he's more of a lesser evil. The real threat comes from his more dangerous and unhinged brother, Razamel. Compared to the chaos Razamel unleashes, Gargamel almost feels like comic relief, a washed-up wizard just trying to keep up in this modern age. Toward the end, the film even swings big. As the Smurfs open portals to alternate worlds, the art style begins to shift. There's a Play-Doh world. A pencil sketch world. An Atari-style pixel universe. Even a full-blown anime sequence. It's brief but bold, evoking 'The Amazing World of Gumball' in its ability to play with form and tone. Musically? It gets the job done. But don't expect the next Timberlake bop like 'Can't Stop the Feeling.' Unlike 'Trolls' or 'K-Pop Demon Hunters', this soundtrack won't be dominating the radio waves. The songs are fine—forgettable outside the film, but fun in the moment. They move the plot, add emotion, and provide breathers between dimension-hopping chaos. What grounds the glitter is the film's core message. No Name's arc is about identity—about feeling out of place when everyone else seems to know exactly who they are. That's a resonant theme, especially for younger viewers still finding themselves. The film also values community. Every Smurf brings something to the table. And Papa Smurf's backstory adds a hint of guilt and redemption. The village, it turns out, was built as a second chance. It's not deep, but it gives the silliness a bit of weight. Then, of course, the final number hits. A glittery, pulsing, all-hands-on-deck dance sequence—because how else are you supposed to end a modern animated film? 'Smurfs' doesn't aim to reinvent the genre. But it embraces its chaos with confidence, cuteness, and charm. And it practically begs us: 'Please don't stop the music'. Sure, it's generic in parts—but the kids in our screening were laughing, singing, and vibing with the colours. And honestly? That's the only verdict that matters.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Why Lena Dunham 'broke up with New York' and made London her home
Lena Dunham made her name with New York-set sitcom Girls, and at the height of the show's success she seemed to embody everything about living in the city. But now, the writer, director and actor has moved to the UK, swapping NYC for London. Her new show for Netflix, Too Much, takes inspiration from her own move across the pond, casting Megan Stalter as heartbroken New Yorker Jessica looking for a fresh start in London. She soon crosses paths with musician Felix (Will Sharpe) and finds communicating with a Brit holds a whole new set of problems. But what was behind Dunham's own move to the UK as a born-and-bred New Yorker? In May, Dunham wrote about her reasons for "breaking up with New York" in The New Yorker, opening up on how, from childhood, she had found the city's busyness anxiety-inducing. Although her parents loved the city, she admitted she had never felt at home despite having written and starred in Girls, a series where her character Hannah believes she'll find her true self there. She wrote of Girls: "The irony was that the series cemented me, in the minds of everyone I met, as a New York girl through and through. How could they have known that the safest I'd ever felt in New York was either hiding under the covers or pretending to be someone else under klieg lights?" Dunham spent some time living in Wales but eventually migrated to London, where she says she was won over by the spaciousness compared to her home town. She wrote: "Three decades of urban sense memory cleared, as if I had woken up to a system upgrade and damaged files had been erased in the process." Adding that "London is my home now", she said that despite some similarities, London does not "jangle" her in the same way. The move to London was never supposed to be permanent - Dunham expected to leave after a work project ended - but she met her now-husband, Luis Felber, after a mutual friend set them up on a blind date and realised she did not want to take him away from his life in London. In another interview with The New Yorker, Dunham claimed that she fitted in perfectly in England because she is uncomfortable with receiving compliments and "I don't like having 'Happy Birthday' sung to me". Dunham's husband is British-Peruvian musician Luis Felber, who she met in 2021 just after coming to London for a filming project. She was in the UK making the film Catherine Called Birdy, starring Bella Ramsey, when she was introduced to Felber and they worked together on the film's soundtrack. Dunham also shot the music video for one of Felber's songs recorded during lockdown. Felber is one of the founders of the label and club night Young Turks, and has performed as part of various bands and groups, as well as under the name Attawalpa. They made the Netflix sitcom Too Much together, inspired by their own romance. Although Dunham knew she didn't want to star in another TV show she'd written, Too Much takes plenty of inspiration from her own experiences of moving from New York to London and falling in love with a Brit. She told Netflix: "When I first started coming to the UK for work… I thought to myself, 'I want to write something about the experience of being a foreigner here, and the fantasies we have of [London] versus the realities'. Then when I met my husband, Luis, I felt like I was experiencing all of that, but in the context of a relationship." However, while Dunham does have a small part in the show, she isn't the lead, explaining that she was "just not up for having my body dissected again" after her experience of fame on Girls. Asked by The New Yorker whether comparisons would be drawn between her real life and Too Much, she replied: "Totally. I can't escape it. It's about an American woman in London who has had a bad breakup in New York and is confused, meeting a recovering punk musician and trying to figure out if they can make a life together. It's not a huge leap. But I knew from the very beginning I would not be the star of it." Too Much begins streaming on Netflix on Thursday, 10 July.
Evening Standard
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Evening Standard
Scarlett Johansson and Harris Dickinson's Cannes directorial debuts, unpacked
Cannes 2025 is done, and two of its most talked about feature film debuts didn't come from unknowns. They came from familiar faces. Scarlett Johansson and Harris Dickinson, pictured above, both featured in Un Certain Regard – the strand known for championing bold new voices. Their films Eleanor the Great, a New York-set character study by Johansson, and Urchin, Dickinson's walk on the margins of London. Both sparked immediate curiosity – not only about the stories, but also about the kind of directors these two stars might be.
New Indian Express
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Jackie Chan on 'Karate Kid: Legends': 'I've been training for 64 Years, I don't need it anymore'
LOS ANGELES: Action legend Jackie Chan says he didn't require any formal training for his latest film Karate Kid: Legends, as he has already been practising martial arts for 64 years. Directed by Jonathan Entwistle, the New York-set film stars Chan alongside Ralph Macchio and Ben Wang. The film sees Chan reprise his role from the 2010 reboot of The Karate Kid. Chan, known for performing his own stunts throughout his career, said that fighting has become second nature to him. 'I don't need to anymore. I've been training every day for 64 years. I've been fighting, fighting, fighting,' the 71-year-old actor told entertainment outlet Variety.
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First Post
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- First Post
Scarlett Johansson debuts as a director in Cannes with a comic tale of grief and empathy
Johansson brought 'Eleanor the Great' to the Un Certain Regard sidebar of the Cannes Film Festival this week, unveiling a funny and tender, character-driven, New York-set indie that launches her as a filmmaker read more Scarlett Johansson's directorial debut, 'Eleanor the Great,' stars June Squibb as a 94-year-old woman who, out of grief and loneliness, does a terrible thing. After her best friend (Rita Zohar) dies, Eleanor (Squibb) moves to New York and, after accidentally joining the wrong meeting at the Jewish Community Center, adopts her friend's story of Holocaust survival. The film builds toward a moment where Eleanor could be harshly condemned in a public forum, or not. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD For Johansson, her movie speaks to the moment. 'There's a lack of empathy in the zeitgeist. It's obviously a reaction to a lot of things,' says Johansson. 'It feels to me like forgiveness feels less possible in the environment we're in.' Johansson brought 'Eleanor the Great' to the Un Certain Regard sidebar of the Cannes Film Festival this week, unveiling a funny and tender, character-driven, New York-set indie that launches her as a filmmaker. For the 40-year-old star, it's the humble culmination of a dream that's always bounced around in her mind. 'It has been for most of my career,' Johansson says, meeting at a hotel on the Croisette after a day of junket interviews. 'Whether it was reading something and thinking, 'I can envision this in my mind,' or even being on a production and thinking, 'I am directing some elements of this out of necessity.'' Johansson came to Cannes just days after hosting the season finale of 'Saturday Night Live,' making for a fairly head-spinning week. 'It's adding to the surrealistic element of the experience,' Johansson says with a smile. In just over a month's time, she'll be back in a big summer movie, 'Jurassic World Rebirth.' But even that gig is a product of her own interests. Johansson had been a fan of the 'Jurassic Park' movies for years, and simply wanted to be a part of it. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Following her own instincts, and her willingness to fight for them, has been a regular feature of her career recently. She confronted The Walt Disney Co. over pay during the pandemic release of 'Black Widow,' and won a settlement. When OpenAI launched a voice system called 'Sky' for ChatGPT 4.0 that sounded eerily similar to her own, she got the company to take it down. She's increasingly produced films, including 'Eleanor the Great,' 'Black Widow' and 'Fly Me to the Moon.' After working with an enviable string of directors such as Jonathan Glazer ('Under the Skin'), Spike Jonze ('Her'), the Coen brothers ('Hail, Caesar!') and Noah Baumbach ('Marriage Story'), she's become a part of Wes Anderson's troupe. After a standout performance in 'Asteroid City,' she appears in 'The Phoenician Scheme,' which premiered shortly before 'Eleanor the Great' in Cannes. 'At some point, I worked enough that I stopped worrying about not working, or not being relevant — which is very liberating,' Johansson says. 'I think it's something all actors feel for a long time until they don't. I would not have had the confidence to direct this film 10 years ago.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Which isn't to say that I don't often think many times: What the hell am I doing?' she adds. 'I have that feeling, still. Certainly doing 'Jurassic,' I had many moments where I was like: Am I the right person for this? Is this working? But I just recently saw it and the movie works.' So does 'Eleanor the Great,' which Sony Pictures Classics will release at some future date. That's owed significantly to the performance of Squibb, who, at 95, experienced a Cannes standing ovation alongside Johansson. 'Something I'll never forget is holding June in that moment,' says Johansson. 'The pureness of her joy and her presence in that moment was very touching, I think for everyone in theater. Maybe my way of processing it, too, is through June. It makes it less personal because it's hard for me to absorb it all.' Some parts of 'Eleanor the Great' have personal touches, though. After one character says he lives in Staten Island, Squibb's character retorts, 'My condolences.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Yeah, I had to apologize to my in-laws for that,' Johansson, who is married to Staten Island native Colin Jost, said laughing. 'I was like: Believe it not, I didn't write that line.' A poster for the 1999 documentary about underground cartoonist R. Crumb, 'Crumb,' also hangs on the wall in one scene, a vague reference, Johansson acknowledges, to her loosely connected 2001 breakthrough film 'Ghost World.' 'I was very young when I made that movie. I think I was 15, and the character is supposed to be 18 or 19. When I was a teenager, I often played characters who were a bit older than myself,' Johansson says. 'Even doing 'Lost in Translation,' I think I was 17 when I made it. I think I was playing someone in their mid-20s.' 'It's a funny thing,' she says. 'I wonder sometimes if it then feels like I've been around so long, that people expect me to be in my 70s now.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
