A wise bear once said; "If you are kind and polite, the world will be right." Well the world feels a bit more right, as that loveable bear is back in theatres this weekend. That's right folks, half a decade after Paddington 2 became one of the biggest surprises I've ever seen, we are finally getting treated to the third film in the ever so charming series. I am a firm believer in Paddington 2 being one of the greatest movies ever made, so this was right near the top of my most anticipated movies this year. It doesn't quite live up to its predecessor, but this is still an absolute delight.
Paddington in Peru, as the title suggests, follows Paddington as he travels to Peru. He officially becomes a British citizen after getting his passport, and when he hears his Aunt Lucy has been feeling lonely, he and the Brown family decide to take a trip to South America, only to learn that Aunt Lucy has gone missing. Thus we are treated to the Browns and Paddington partaking in an Indiana Jones-esque adventure as they search the jungle for their missing bear.
To get elephants in the room out of the way, Sally Hawkins and director Paul King sadly did not return for this film. King's filmmaking is a large part of what made the first two films feel so special, and Hawkins brought a ridiculous amount of heart to them as Mrs. Brown. Each of their absences are felt, but those taking their places still do an admirable job. Emily Mortimer takes the reins from Hawkins and I thought she was really good. She feels a lot more grounded than Hawkins did, which I think does take some whimsy away, but her performance is full of love that feels genuine from start to finish. The rest of the returning characters are all played by the same actors as before, with Hugh Bonneville continuing to be hilarious as Mr. Brown, and Julie Walters cementing her portrayal of Ms. Bird as nearly as iconic as her turn in Harry Potter. Perhaps the most important returning cast member though is Ben Whishaw as the voice of Paddington, a vocal performance so strong I genuinely forget at times that Paddington is a CGI character. Part of that credit goes to the great effects team, but a lot of it is thanks to how genuine and wholesome Whishaw's performance is.
I really enjoyed the adventure aspect of the film, but there are two ways in which I felt that it became a step back from the previous film. The first is in the visuals. The visuals here are pretty strong, but King's fantastical version of London is full of whimsy and colour that just isn't as present in the jungle setting. The second is in the hijinks department. The focus on the adventure story means there's a bit less time spent on Paddington making a hilarious mess of something despite his best efforts. The previous films left us with several hilarious sequences, and there are certainly some here, but it feels like there are a handful less and the ones we get aren't quite as thought out as before. There's also an element of knowing how this one is going to play with your emotions thanks to how brilliantly Paddington 2 works to make you cry. Now don't get me wrong, I cried of course, but it was much easier to see how this one was going to tug on your heartstrings.
If you're on the fence about seeing this one I'm the wrong person to ask, as I think everyone should watch all of these movies. Objectively it is a slight step down from its predecessors, but that's okay. This is a fun and wholesome watch that'll pull at your heart and make you laugh throughout. 4/5
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