'The Smurfs 2' sweet and inoffensive

The irrepressibly upbeat blue creatures, invented by Belgian artist Peyo, return to the big screen in a saccharine sequel designed to keep the merchandising tills ringing for another couple of years.

The middle chapter of an intended trilogy, ‘The Smurfs 2’ is a sweet and inoffensive tale of good versus pantomime villainy, which enforces the wholesome message that there’s no place like Smurf.