Paddington is a little brown bear from parts unknown deep in the Peruvian jungle. He was the brainchild of author Michael Bond, and he first appeared in 1958's A Bear Called Paddington. Bond wrote a total of 29 Paddington books, with the final story being published in 2018, a year after Bond's death. The stories have sold over 35 million books worldwide and have been translated into 40 languages. In 2014, Studiocanal released a live-action film titled Paddington, which received critical and audience acclaim. A sequel, Paddington 2, was released in 2017, and this month, Paddington in Peru will make its way to theaters.
On a very special day, the mail arrives at the Brown's home with a package for Paddington (Ben Whishaw; Skyfall). Inside is his British passport, making him officially a British citizen. A short time later, Paddington receives a letter from the Reverend Mother of the Home for Retired Bears in Peru, telling Paddington that his Aunt Lucy has been displaying some odd behavior and is missing him terribly. With the Browns in need of a family holiday and his newly printed passport in hand (not to mention a few orange marmalade sandwiches tucked under his hat), Paddington and the Browns head to the jungles of Peru.
Once they arrive, they find Aunt Lucy is missing, but she leaves Paddington a map of where to start looking for her. After chartering a boat and traipsing through the jungle, Paddington and the Brown family discover things are not what they seem, and they are all in real danger.
Whishaw once again voices the adorable bear, and as the saying goes, "third time is a charm." He is always very good as Paddington, and this go-around is no exception. His voice has a calm sweetness about it that lends itself beautifully to the title character. Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey) also reprises his role as Henry Brown, Paddington's adoptive father, while Emily Mortimer (The Newsroom) replaces Sally Hawkins as Mary Brown. Antonio Banderas (The Mask of Zorro) plays the riverboat captain with an ulterior motive, and Academy Award winner Olivia Colman (The Favourite) portrays the Reverend Mother, who also isn't exactly what she seems. The rest of the cast is also really good, with honorable mention going to Julie Walters (Mamma Mia), who is always fun to watch.
Taking over the director's chair from Paul King (Wonka), Dougal Wilson makes his feature film directorial debut with Paddington in Peru. While he retains the overall look and feel of the first two films, there is a bit of a stylistic difference to this latest movie in the trilogy. I'm not certain if King's return would have made a difference or not because the real issue with the film is the plot.
The story seemingly starts with a solid premise, and the idea of Paddington heading back to the place he was from is interesting, but the story loses steam about halfway through. The scenes that are supposed to be funny come across more as silly but not in a good way. For example, in Paddington 2, Hugh Grant's musical number was humorous and memorable, while watching Oscar-winner Colman play guitar and sing while dressed as a nun was kind of cringy.
Kids will love Paddington in Peru and will probably want a cute, cuddly version for themselves. However, adults, especially those in the United States, may not enjoy it as much as an animated film from Disney, Pixar, Illumination, or DreamWorks. For the right ages, Paddington in Peru will keep kids entertained for a few hours because it is a good film overall, but it can't compare to Paddington and Paddington 2, which were both better movies.
Grade: B-
