This multinational comedy-adventure film continues the escapades of Paddington Bear, who travels to Peru to visit his Aunt Lucy. She is behaving oddly, and he is concerned.
PADDINGTON IN PERU. Starring: Ben Whishaw, Hugh Bonneville, Emily Mortimer, Julie Waters, Jim Broadbent, Olivia Coleman, Imelda Staunton, Antonio Banderas, and others. The film is directed by Dougal Wilson. Rated PG (Mild themes). 106 min.
Review by Peter W Sheehan, Jesuit Media Australia
Paddington returns to Peru to visit his beloved Aunt Lucy, who lived in a Home for Retired Bears. Olivia Coleman plays a guitar-playing, singing nun who manages Lucy’s retired home, and she is the home’s reverend Mother-In-Charge. Before she disappeared, Lucy was behaving strangely, and gave signs she was in trouble. Alarmed by her situation, Paddington flies off to Peru, with family-in-tow, to find her.
The film is a live-action animated adventure movie (with some musical interludes) that has been written by Mark Burton, Jon Foster and James Lamont from a story by Paul King, Simon Farnaby and Mark Burton. It is the third instalment in the Paddington Bear film series, and is the sequel to Paddington 2 (2017). It is the first feature film for the film’s Director, Dougal Wilson, who attempts to give Paddington a new look with scenic wonders supplied by Peru.
The film takes Paddington Bear back to his South American homeland in the midst of the Amazonian wilderness, and Paddington tries to find his Aunt. Ben Whishaw voices Paddington Brown, and Imelda Staunton voices Aunt Lucy. Antonio Banderas colourfully plays a roguish riverboat captain, and major actors reprise their roles from previous films, including Jim Broadbent, Hugh Bonneville, and Imelda Staunton. The extent of the reprisals guarantees excellent continuity with previous Paddington films.
The film strives to maintain the zestful pace of the first two films, and it projects the same degree of comfortable warmth and appeal that were amply illustrated in the 2014 and 2017 Paddington Bear movies. In this movie, the level of adventuring is particularly high, and the film focuses on adventure and mystery in scenic locales, and survival of Paddington against the odds. Plot devices such as technical failures of flying aircraft, and surging, menacing waterfalls tend to overtake Paddington Bear as a loveable Icon in his own right, but he maintains his likability. Family values of togetherness and belongingness are reinforced throughout, and the fusion of animation with photogenic realism is excellent.
In this film, we learn why Paddington Bear is a marmalade addict, and the film offers an escapist time-out in fast-pace style. It is not as funny as the first two Paddington movies; the wit and magic are not quite there, but the film is cleverly directed, and highly-suited to family viewing.
Peter W Sheehan is an Associate of Jesuit Media