49/43
Paddington returns to Peru to visit his beloved Aunt Lucy, who now lives at the Home for Retired Bears. With the Brown family in tow, a thrilling adventure ensues when a mystery plunges them into an unexpected journey. The director of the previous two films, Paul King, has decided not to direct this edition. However, he pitched the idea for this third film and was involved as an executive producer.. Featured on The Graham Norton Show: Billy Crystal/Emily Mortimer/Hugh Bonneville/Pharrell Williams/Michael Kiwanuka (2024). 'Paddington in Peru (2024)' it’s not as good as ‘Paddington 2 (2017)’, but it’s not as big a step up as some early reactions have led me to believe. For the most part, this is still a fun and delightfully polite experience, as enjoyable as it is vigorous. While the more standard adventure narrative is less idiosyncratic than the vignette approach of the first two pictures, it still works well enough in this context and allows its lovable characters to continue to charm even as they’re subjected to his classic sequence. being taken out of their natural habitat to explore the still unknown origins of the main character. There are plenty of funny moments and the film is benevolent from the first frame. It’s a really nice movie and sometimes that’s all you need. What it lacks compared to its predecessors is a strong emotional core. Even though a few of its moments are moving, the track isn’t particularly emotional and won’t get the tear ducts going. Additionally, some of its character work is pretty shallow and, as my brother pointed out, almost feels like an obligatory afterthought. The narrative in general is quite conventional and follows a specific formula almost to the end. It’s pretty predictable and feels relatively generic, almost as if it was adapted for Paddington after its basic beats were already penciled in. Despite the few issues, there’s still more than enough to like about the feature. Its lovable cast is as strong as ever, with some delightful newcomers (Antonio Banderas and Olivia Coleman) gleefully chewing the scenery whenever needed. The special effects are consistently good, believably bringing the eponymous bear to life in such a way that it’s strange to think he’s never in the same space as the other characters. When he naturally doesn’t appear on the red carpet, it feels like someone is missing. The film is light and airy; it really flies and is generally a lot of fun. It’s jam-packed with gags, both visual and dialogue-based, and jaw-dropping slapstick action. It’s a very good time. Ultimately, this is a perfectly respectable addition to his series that is well made and enjoyable throughout. It’s unfortunate that it follows ‘Paddington 2 (2017)’, as there’s an argument to be made that it’s the best – or at least the most universally appealing. – picture of all time, because this really is a great family movie. If you’re expecting the best movie of all time (again) or even the second best movie of all time, you’re obviously going to be disappointed. Still, it’s a solid effort that’s charming and entertaining in almost every scene. It is much better than a lot of similar fares. If you’re not expecting a miracle, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
