The Smurfs 3D (U) Family/ Action/Comedy. Directed by: Raja Gosnell Running time: 102mins.

Times rating HHPPP Based on the books by Peyo, this brings the iconic Smurfs to life on the big screen using the same digital magic as Alvin And The Chipmunks.

The flimsy plot transplants the “little blue people, three apples high” from the safety of Smurf Village to the skyscrapers of Manhattan.

In this bustling metropolis, Papa Smurf and his kin go largely unnoticed, even when they are riding atop yellow taxis through Times Square.

In an age of omnipresent CCTV cameras, smartphones and social media, it seems inconceivable that the internet wouldn’t be abuzz.

Most of the comedy is aimed at younger audiences, such as when evil wizard Gargamel inspects a portable loo, thinking it to be a cauldron, and rushes out, choking: “Some-body has been working dark and terrible magic in there.”

Four scriptwriters throw in random pop culture references for older viewers, such as an exchange between Gargamel and his cat Azrael borrowed from Brokeback Mountain, and Smurfette recreating Marilyn Monroe’s iconic steam vent pose from The Seven Year Itch.

Papa Smurf (voiced by Jonathan Winters), Smurfette (Katy Perry), Clumsy, Brainy, Gutsy and Grouchy stumble upon a portal, which sucks them into New York, where advertising executive Patrick Winslow (Neil Patrick Harris) and his pregnant wife, Grace (Jayma Mays), are on hand to help as Smurf arch-nemesis Gargamel (Hank Azaria) gives chase.

The Smurfs 3D doesn’t have any original ideas about what to do with the tiny characters once they are among us.

Harris and Mays are both endearing in thankless roles and vocal performances are solid, including a self-referential moment for Perry when Smurfette coos, “I kissed a girl . . . and I liked it!”

Rise of the Plant of the Apes (12A) Sci-Fi/Action/Thriller/ Romance. Directed by: Rupert Wyatt Running time: 104mins.

Times rating HHHHP Man learns a harsh lesson about meddling with Mother Nature in this splendid new take on the apes saga.

There are breathtaking set pieces, including a climactic scene of apes on the rampage that unfolds at dizzying speed.

But under the pyrotechnics there beats a human heart, not least in Caesar the ape, brought majestically to life by Andy Serkis using the same motion capture technology he did for Gollum in The Lord of the Rings.

Scientist Will Rodman (James Franco) is determined to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but the serum he tests on chimps delivers a big rise in primate intelligence.

When his research is shelved, Will takes Caesar home to raise, but falls for a vet (Frida Pinto) who warns he is meddling with nature.