Following the release of two films in 2014 and 2017, which were both critical and commercial hits, marmalade-loving bear, Paddington is back in a whole new movie titled Paddington in Peru. The film – which arrives in UK cinemas today – sees the loveable bear embark on an exciting adventure, which takes him outside of London.
Directed by Dougal Wilson, and starring Hugh Bonneville, Emily Mortimer, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Olivia Colman, and Antonio Banderas, and featuring the voice of Ben Whishaw as Paddington, Paddington in Peru sees P-bear head off with the Browns to the other side of the world. His destination is Peru and his goal is to visit Aunt Lucy at the Home for Retired Bears.
But when Paddington arrives, he finds his simple visit isn’t so simple at all. Aunt Lucy has inexplicably vanished!
Concerned for Aunt Lucy’s welfare, Paddington and the Browns set off in search of the missing bear. Their hunt sends them deep into the Amazon, where they get mixed up in a plot involving the mythical land of El Dorado.
OK, so let’s get this out of the way very quickly: The first two Paddington movies are truly excellent, five-star films, and it would take a lot to equal them. Paddington in Peru doesn’t quite reach the same level as its predecessors, so don’t expect it to be your favourite entry in the series.
BUT…
Paddington in Peru is a heap of fun and you’ll have a jolly good time with it regardless. It is a delightful picture, filled with all the colourful characters and quirky elements audiences have come to expect, and it features superb performances from everyone involved, including the ever-brilliant Olivia Colman as a singing Reverend Mother.
Colman is an absolute treat in the picture, lighting up the screen and stealing scenes at every turn. However, as with the previous Paddington movies, there’s lots to offer outside of one particularly impressive performance, and it’s not difficult to become lost in what is essentially another pleasant tale.
Following suit with the previous entries, Paddington is effortlessly likeable, as are the Browns, and spending a couple of hours in their company never seems like a waste. And while their jaunt to Peru doesn’t seem quite as magical as their adventures in London (more about that in moment), it is just as whimsical.
The Paddington films are filled with light-hearted nonsense, and bags of adventure, and there is plenty of it on show here. From a plane ride and an encounter with a deadly spider, to a secret room and a search for gold, there’s lots being thrown at the screen, and almost all of it sticks.
The ending in particular is lovely and also very emotive. A tear is likely to be shed as the film heads toward the finish line, with Paddington discovering some important details about his heritage.
Where things don’t work out quite so well is in the pacing, which is a bit up and down, and in the relocation from London to Peru. Paddington as a character is so indelibly linked to London, the film does seem to lose a touch of its sparkle in the new setting, and this is a shame.
That said, the trip to Peru isn’t superfluous, and ultimately it does link back into the movie’s central themes. These themes, which are a big part of the series, include family, acceptance, and multiculturalism, and it’s great they remain front and centre on this third instalment.
While Paddington in Peru isn’t quite the bulletproof hit that we’ve seen before, this is far from a bad turn for the series. The are plenty of laughs to be had; the sets, costumes, and staging are wonderfully entertaining; and the heart continues to shine through.
Perhaps most important of all, Paddington remains such a lovely hero. He may not have super powers or muscles, but he has so much charm in what is a fairly solid entry in this series.
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