By Matthew Moorcroft

Strong Recommendation

• Directed by Dougal Wilson
• Starring Ben Whishaw, Hugh Bonneville, Emily Mortimer, Antonio Banderas
• PG

It’s been over a decade since the release of the original Paddington film, and in that time both it and it’s sequel have become something of a sacred ground for modern children’s films. While so much of this is rightly attributed to director Paul King and his whimsical vision for the character, so much of the appeal of the Paddington films comes down to the bear himself and his infectious, charming attitude towards the little things in life. So much of Paddington is just small scale mishaps or explorations of scenarios, and while the films definitely have more going on then that it’s clear it’s success lies in the intimate, tiny details.

As such, it’s a little weird watching Paddington in Peru in retrospect. Much of this could be due to the sudden lack of Paul King in the director’s chair – being too busy elsewhere – and a change in writing staff to boot, which immediately means that the film feels different in a way from it’s predecessors. But it’s also a much bigger film then either of it’s two prior entries, seemingly focused on exploring untold ideas about Paddington’s home country as part of it’s narrative.

In any other circumstance, this would likely have resulted in disaster. But thankfully new director Dougal Wilson – in an otherwise impressive debut – brings that same whimsical touch that King did in his efforts, making sure to keep things light, witty, and always in the realm of fantastical. This means that while Paddington in Peru lacks the same immediate “holy crap that was incredible” feel of it’s prior entries, it still manages to stand on it’s own as an effectively excellent family feature in it’s best moments, and even in it’s weaker ones is still probably better then most others out there on the market.

I think it helps that the goal is rather personal here. The disappearance of a family member is a little trite as premises go in any other circumstance, but for Paddington it’s a literal life or death scenario. There isn’t anything worse, and while the film’s ultimate mystery is complicated by other factors it stays focused on that initial goal. While the rest of the cast squabbles over gold and El Dorado, Paddington just wants to find his aunt. And that single minded kindness helps the otherwise bizarre yet engaging narrative function.

The large ensemble of British actors and comedians – all of whom do great work as per expected here – are joined by, for the first time, major overseas talent like Antonio Banderas who get quite a bit of screentime. And like all great characters in these things, his character is one where he has baggage from his past and Paddington, as the ever lovable rascal he is, finds ways to find the humanity in those we think are otherwise unsalvageable. It’s really his and Banderas’ story that makes up the bulk of the picture, and while it’s a bit of a retread of ideas explored before I do like how the film visualizes Banderas’ struggles with his generational trauma. Even when dealing with heavier topics, these movies continue to represent them with a light, deft touch that allows kids to understand them clearly and adults to have fun with the absurdity of the situation. In this case, the situation being “what if somebody wanted gold so much it was actually a disease?”.

And yet, it’s really the film’s incredible script construction that continues to impress. This really manages to give each major character an arc in a way that’s meaningful, even if it’s short and sweet, and the ways it pays off even small jokes is inspired. Wilson really finds a lot of mileage in the Peru setting in terms of both dramatic possibility and also comedic, and his experience in music videos comes in handy particularly during an early musical sequence that’s as funny as it is fun and creative.

The question remains though – is Paddington in Peru a worth successor? Well, of course it is. But I think whether or not it’s on the same level will ultimately up to time itself and whether or not it has the same level of staying power as those iconic first two films. While that’s difficult to say now, Paddington in Peru remains a fantastic standalone family film regardless and still better most other of it’s ilk. Just as great as you would expect at this point, honestly.