It has been ten years since the release of Paddington based on Michael Bond’s children book series. Director Paul King somehow struck lightning in a bottle twice when he made Paddington 2, not only one of the greatest sequels, but a perfect family movie. The success of King’s Paddington movies paved the way for more classic anthropomorphic animals from children’s literature getting the big-screen treatment from Winnie the Pooh to Peter Rabbit, though none reaches the high quality of the films that feature the marmalade-loving bear.
We had to wait seven years for another instalment, and with a title like Paddington in Peru, things have changed. In terms of where the bear (voiced once again by Ben Whishaw) and the Brown family are currently, there hasn’t been much excitement and bonding going on. However, when he receives a letter from the home for retired bears in Peru, informing him that Aunt Lucy deeply misses him and is acting strangely, Paddington and the Browns decide to go to Peru to visit her, leading to an adventure involving treasure and Paddington’s own past.
When it comes to a lot of comedies, a sequel that takes the characters out of their comfort zone and has them go off on a holiday, is usually a sign that the filmmakers have run out of ideas. One of the things that made the first two Paddington movies special was the use of London as a character with Paddington himself being an immigrant and learning to adapt in a new environment where he accepts as his new home, especially under the household of the Browns. Plus, the London in the Paddington movies was also defined by the British comedy talent that appeared everywhere, usually popping up in witty cameos.
The opening minutes of Paddington in Peru remind you of the charm of its predecessors where Paddington in his typical clumsy fashion tries to take a picture for his British passport, and afterwards you get the brief appearances of the Browns’ neighbors, played by the likes of Jessica Hynes and Sanjeev Bhaskar. Sadly, Peter Capaldi as Mr. Curry takes on the role of Sir Not-Appearing-in-this-Film.
Although Paul King and his co-writer Simon Farnaby have a story credit, Dougal Wilson makes his directorial film debut with Paddington in Peru after years of directing commercials and music videos. In the London sequences, while there are some nice visual flourishes, there is a sense of Wilson is doing a Paul King impersonation where the style is there, but lacks the intricate plotting of the two previous films where every character had an arc and a simple joke at the beginning can have a huge payoff at the end. No doubt there is some fun during the adventure through Peru, referencing classic films like Raiders of the Lost Ark and Fitzcarraldo, but by the time the Browns are lost in the jungle while Paddington finds himself on his own, there is something missing.
No doubt that Paddington and the Browns remain as wonderful as ever since they are the emotional core of this series, even though the recasting of Mary Brown may not sit right with others. Emily Mortimer may maintain that motherly love towards her co-stars including the titular CGI bear, but unlike her predecessor Sally Hawkins, she never captures that adorable oddness that defines that character who has always been more eccentric compared to the rest of the family. The film’s biggest success is the new additions from Olivia Colman being perfectly cast as the scene-stealing Reverend Mother to Antonio Banderas who flexes his comedic muscles as the family-cursed, treasure-hunting antagonist.
Paddington in Peru makes it U.S. premiere January 17, 2025
