This third film featuring the beloved bear’s adventures is as heartwarming as always – but feels a little lacking in magic.
Lets be honest, it was always going to be difficult to recreate the joy of Paddington 2 – but while Paddington in Peru is as heartwarming as the previous films, it feels as though it is lacking in the humour that we have come to know and love.
Written by Mark Burton, Jon Foster, and James Lamont and directed by Dougal Wilson, Paddington in Peru as the title suggests sees the loveable bear return to his home in Peru to discover that his aunt Lucy has disappeared. Joined by the Brown family what follows is an adventure to discover treasure and ultimately for Paddington to understand the true meaning of family.
Bright, colourful with plenty enjoyable moments to be found in the performances (both Olivia Coleman and Antonio Banderas being great additions to the cast), it just feels as though the script itself feels a little flat (although it gets off to a lovely start with Paddington getting his passport photo taken) and feels a little more serious than previously.
There are lovely easter egg moments to be found in reference to Indiana Jones for example in one memorable sequence in which Paddington is chased by a giant rock that lift the film up to new heights, while Reverend Mother (Olivia Coleman) performs a song that brings to mind The Sound of Music. Moments like these feel like like real gems that bring to mind the first two films and it does have to be said that the way in which it is made clear early on the villains of the piece to the audience while keeping the Brown family in the dark is a nifty piece of work.
Yet somehow the plot feels a little unnecessarily complicated with the backstories included not really designed to keep younger audience members attention. The film also hints at the conflicting emotions of being an immigrant (showcased in Mr Gruber’s brief scene at the beginning of the film) but because the film is so neatly tidied up doesn’t give much room for exploration.
But as always the performances will certainly make you smile. From Ben Whishaw’s calming, charming and sincere performance as Paddington, Olivia Coleman’s slightly manic but brilliant Reverend Mother, Hugh Bonneville’s overly cautious Mr Brown and Emily Mortimer as the adventurous Mrs Brown ensure there is plenty of fun to be had throughout. In addition Antonio Banderas is clearly having a lot of fun as Hunter Cabot as is Carla Tous as his daughter Gina.
Overall, yes it is a great decision to take Paddington back to Peru – a new setting gives his adventures a new lease of life. However, it feels like by trying to make the story too mysterious and convoluted it is just lacking a little bit of that Paddington magic that we have come to know and love.
By Emma Clarendon
Rating: ❤️❤️❤️