CinemaNerdz

The Preview Reel: Smurfs: The Lost Village and Going in Style

Scott Davis
The Preview Reel

Welcome to this week’s “Preview Reel” column, where we look at the week’s upcoming wide release movies. Families have been dominating the box office with The Boss Baby doing much better than expected business and Beauty and the Beast breaking all sorts of records. This week sees another family-friendly affair enter the ring with Smurfs: The Lost Village, while Going in Style looks to please the older crowd. Let’s see if either are worth your time.

Smurfs: The Lost Village

What we are excited about: Are we allowed to say nothing? Clearly this movie is not aimed at our demographic, but if your family has already seen Beauty and the Beast and has no interest in seeing Alec Baldwin playing a toddler in Boss Baby, maybe a trip to Smurfville will be a fun one. The movie thankfully ditches the half live-action/animated formula and decided to go fully animated with lots of bright colors. It looks like it might keep the children entertained for a couple hours.

What we are worried about: Despite a strong voice cast, we are worried about pretty much everything regarding this movie. It looks like lazy storytelling and the humor seems very uninspired. The film seems to be aiming directly at kids and no one else, which is fine for some movies, but it certainly does not look to be anywhere close to the level of Pixar movies.

The Buzz: With family hits like Beauty and the Beast and Boss Baby dominating the box office, there is almost no buzz surrounding this movie. The Smurfs have a following, but we’re not sure even the most devoted Smurf fan will turn out for this entry. Pair that with the mostly negative reviews, and you’re looking at a rather blue opening of $15 million opening.

Final Thoughts: With its intention aimed directly at kids, look for us to skip this journey to The Lost Village.

Going in Style

What we are excited about: Playing as counter-programming to all the family-oriented movies, Going in Style looks to please those older, often neglected, crowds. If you were a fan of a movie like Last Vegas, then you’re probably already lined up for this one. The cast is the obvious draw here with the likes of Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, and Alan Arkin sharing the screen. It could be a lighthearted change of pace at the movies.

What we are worried about: We’ve seen this type of movie before and this does not look to change the formula one bit. Much like Smurfs: The Lost Village, we think this aimed at a completely different demographic. The talented cast might be able to crank out a couple of good jokes, but overall this looks mostly like a snooze fest.

The Buzz: Since this movie is being aimed at an older demographic, there is not much buzz on the internet about this movie. Look for a quiet weekend of about $8 million.

Final thoughts: This looks like a complete pass, much like Smurfs, so this weekend looks like the perfect weekend to catch up on other movies you might have missed like Logan, Kong: Skull Island, or Beauty and the Beast.

Scott Davis

Scott Davis is a recent graduate of Oakland University where he earned a degree in journalism. He worked for the student newspaper on campus, The Oakland Post, where he became the paper's managing editor. He also earned a minor in Cinema Studies at OU. Scott enjoys all things film and TV related, especially the blockbuster kind. He might be the biggest Christopher Nolan fan you know.
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