Alex Moss EditorBelieve it or not Paddington 2 is still in the top 50 highest ranked films of all time on Rotten Tomatoes. Not to say that particular website is a barometer of greatness but it does tell you a lot about the universal love that the bear from Peru has with cinemagoers. So it is with huge excitement that Paddington In Peru, the third film in the Paddington live-action franchise, arrives in cinemas.
This time out Paddington (voiced by Ben Whishaw) gets news that his Aunt Lucy (voiced by Imelda Staunton) has gone missing from her retirement home for bears. So, much to Mr. Brown’s (Hugh Bonneville) horror, the Brown family pack their bags and head off to Peru. Upon arriving, they learn from The Revered Mother (Olivia Colman) that Aunt Lucy has headed up the Amazon in search of something. Hiring a boat captained by Hunter Cabot (Antonio Banderas) the family head off in pursuit of Aunt Lucy, all the while Paddington is having a sense of the familiar from his forgotten childhood.
If all of that sounds like a lot of plot, it is. The one thing that Paddington In Peru gets wrong is not appreciating the brilliance of the first two films was in the misadventures rather than the adventures of Paddington. We don’t need high-stakes necessarily, Paddington is often at his best getting into everyday situations outside of his bear comprehension. Paddington In Peru spends entirely too much time worrying about getting from A to B when we’re not really that fussed about it.
What is more, because there are so many characters trying to juggle and jostle for screen time, Paddington gets sidelined far too much. As entertaining as The Brown Family is, as fun as Olivia Colman and Antonio Banderas are, we’re here for Paddington so give us marmalade-fuelled hijinxs rather than too much in the way of character development.
That being said, this is still a fun, family adventure. Like the previous films there is a quintessential British charm about the Paddington films. Paddington In Peru is clearly aimed more at the younger audience members and they will revel at the journey through the jungle. There are plenty of thrills and spills along the Amazon river but at no point does it take things to the point of feeling like genuine jeopardy, so there’s no worries about kids feeling like Paddington might actually get eaten by piranhas.
Part of this is down to a wonderfully assembled cast. Bonneville remains the safety-conscious stick in the mud, despite the plot trying to develop him otherwise. Mortimer does well stepping into the character previously occupied by Sally Hawkins. Banderas is fun as the ship’s captain with all too mustache twisting levels of villainy while Colman is always a welcome addition to any cast and it is often her reaction shots of despair that will have older audience members smiling to themselves. But it is once again that delightful, dulcet tones of Ben Whishaw that are such a key selling point in bringing Paddington to life. Ten years ago Colin Firth was all set to voice Paddington but having struggled to find the right voice had a ‘conscious uncoupling’ from the project and it is one of cinema’s most fortunate happenstance. It is thanks to Whinshaw and the incredible work of the visual effects artists at Framestore that Paddington never feels anything less than the most wonderful, cuddly bear.
A film that fails to hit the highs of the previous entry but will certainly keep younger audiences resoundingly entertained, Paddington In Peru is fun but forgettable.
Paddington in Peru is in cinemas from 8th November 2024.
