The Weekend Rent: Borrow Something Blue

While Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig fight off an otherworldly invasion in Cowboys and Aliens this weekend in theaters, another army of little blue men—and one Smurfette—invade the Big Apple in The Smurfs. This live-action/CGI update of Peyo’s comics and the 1980s animated series finds the Smurfs—what else?—running from the evil wizard Gargamel in their medieval village only to stumble through a magical portal that transports them to modern day Manhattan.

Unless you know someone closer to three apples high, The Smurfs might be a little too junior for you. In that case, Smurf yourself to your favorite video store, kiosk or streaming service and borrow something blue.

Avatar: The highest-grossing movie of all time is filled with blue beings called the Na’vi. These humanoid indigenous creatures live on planet Pandora and stand around nine feet tall. Each Na’vi has a tendril protruding from the back of its head that allows it to connect with other organisms in its environment and electrochemically exchange thoughts, memories and feelings with flora and fauna alike. Avatar haters called the flick “James Cameron’s giant Smurfs movie,” but now those unimaginative wisecrackers can check out the real Smurfs flick and witness what DNA, if any, the two movies share. Avatar is available in both its theatrical and extended cut on both DVD and Blu-ray. If you can find a copy that someone got bundled with a Panasonic electronics purchase, there are also limited editions of the theatrical Blu-ray 3D floating around out there that go for hundreds of dollars on eBay.

The Fifth Element: One of the high points in this 1997 science-fiction adventure starring Bruce Willis as futuristic taxicab driver Korben Dallas and Milla Jovovich as a “perfect being” is the opera scene aboard a space luxury liner. The exotic Diva Plavalaguna (played by French actress Maïwenn Le Besco) mesmerizes Korben and the other guests with her funky mix of opera and electronica during her concert. Korben discovers that the four mystical stones he needs to find that will protect the world from imminent destruction are hidden within the statuesque blue beauty. The Fifth Element is available on both DVD and Blu-ray.

The X-Men Trilogy: There are many mutants with superhuman abilities on display in the original X-Men trilogy, but few are as striking—or lethal—as Mystique (Rebecca Romijn). In her natural state, Mystique is a scaly blue being with red hair and yellow eyes, but she has the ability to instantaneously morph into any human shape. As Magneto’s second-in-command, Mystique uses her shapeshifting abilities and martial arts training to knock around Wolverine and others over the course of the trilogy. Although we learn more about Mystique’s origins in X-Men: First Class, which is not yet available to rent, the first three films are available on both DVD and Blu-ray.

Watchmen: Of all the vigilantes that populate the alternate 1985 depicted in Zack Snyder’s underrated adaptation of the classic graphic novel, none is more memorable than Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup). The former Dr. Jon Osterman transformed into the glowing blue boy after a nasty accident in the lab. Now not only does he have a godlike physique, Dr. Manhattan has godlike powers of creation and destruction that the U.S. government exploits as their ultimate weapon during the Cold War. After being accused of causing cancer to loved ones and going through a rough patch with his girlfriend, Silk Spectre II, the blue man sees red and takes off to Mars for a little solitude. Several different versions (theatrical, director’s cut and ultimate cut) of Watchmen are available on both DVD and Blu-ray, but expect your bottom to turn blue with numbness since the shortest one is 162 minutes.