The Paddington Movies Are Legitimately Good
I've spent the last few days watching the Paddington film series. I wanted to give Paddington In Peru a fair review when I saw it in the theaters. I will say, I typically hate kids/family movies. They are usually very predictable and lazy filmmaking because they kids will watch anything. They'll mix in a few "adult" jokes here and there to try trick audiences that it's a clever or savvy movie. Instead, it's typically really shitty movies that we just accept as a society because it's a cheap babysitter and kids aren't going to protest.
Having said all of that, the Paddington film series as a whole is really good. Paddington 2 is close to great. Unfortunately, Paddington In Peru falls short of the first two.
For those who don't know (and I sure didn't before this week), Paddington is a bear from Darkest Peru who is sent to London and finds a family in The Browns. He does sometimes make a mess of things but he is very lovable and wins the family over. That's pretty much what the first movie is about. There is a villain (played well by Nicole Kidman) but much of the movie is the Brown family learning to love Paddington. Oh, Paddington also loves marmalade.
In the second movie, Paddington wants to buy his Aunt in Peru a book but doesn't have the money. He gets a job and right before he is able to buy it, the book gets stolen and Paddington is framed for the crime. He ends up in jail thanks to a fantastic bad guy performance by Hugh Grant. Paddington 2 is about as wonderful of a family movie as you're going to find (right there with Toy Story and Home Alone for me).
Paddington is a CGI bear and I really shouldn't care about him so much. It probably doesn't help that he has a similar face to my dog Wakefield, who passed away a year ago. It's also a masterful job by director (of the first 2 movies) Paul King. He makes you root for something that isn't even real. I started to ask myself if I was nuts for liking this bear at all. But why shouldn't we love Paddington? He is only kind and tries to do the right thing. He isn't annoying (like so many characters in kids movies). He has great intentions. If you don't like Paddington the bear, I think you might not have a soul.
Unfortunately, Paddington In Peru doesn't stack up with the brilliance of the first two movies. I'm still recommending it but for much of the movie it coasts by on the charm of the first two. It's great to see the Brown family again and a lot of the other supporting characters in the Paddington universe. But, once the shabby plot kicks in, the movie loses a lot. The whole second act is about a chase for Antonio Banderas to find gold. Paddington doesn't give a fuck about gold. Why should we?
Luckily, the end of the movie saves it. It focuses back on Paddington and his family. Before the last 25 minutes, I was wondering if I could even recommend this. A big issue is the old director Paul King put so much care and thought in every shot. It was phenomenal filmmaking that used creative choices you wouldn't see in most movies for adults. Paddington In Peru was made by first time filmmaker Dougal Wilson and it doesn't match up. The shots in Peru do look great and Olivia Colman does a nice job, but the little touches that made the first two stand out are missing here.
If you've been reading this blog with your eyes rolled, I get it. I would have had a similar reaction before this week. Movies for kids suck. This series really is the exception. I have Paddington In Peru as the 4th best movie of this year (it's still better than Dogman, the other family movie still in theaters). But, if you haven't seen Paddington 1 or 2, check those out for sure.
Paddington In Peru: B-
2025 Movies
1)Presence
2)The Damned
3)One Of Them Days
4) PADDINGTON IN PERU
5)Valiant One
6)Heart Eyes
7)Flight Risk
8)Den Of Thieves 2
9)Dog Man
10)Companion
11)Inheritance
12)Brave The Dark
13)Wolf Man
14)LOVE HURTS