Over recent years, Paddington Bear, has surprisingly cemented himself as one of the most charming characters adapted for the silver screen. “Paddington” got a lot of attention, but “Paddington 2” got the character’s reputation for being one of the most likable characters in one of the highest-rated films ever made. Even now, the film stands at an impressive 99% on Rotten Tomatoes. After eight long years of waiting, audiences finally got another entry that still brings many to smile, but it ends up missing some of that charm that made the previous films so memorable and enjoyable.
One key element that makes some films and TV shows so memorably charming is their ability to bring a sense of childlike wonder to a world filled with adult problems and themes. Older classics, like “Mary Poppins” and “Winnie the Pooh,” were able to accomplish this through their timeless nature, and even modern-day shows like “Bluey” can appeal to both adults and children through that very same approach. Padington in Peru manages to employ childlike wonder well enough, but it fails to bring it into an adult world, taking away from it overall.
Even though the film at many points tries to make up for it, the unique style of the previous director Paul King is noticeably missing from the new entry. A lot of credit goes to King for being able to bring Paddington into the cinematic venue. however, in an interview with Empire Magazine, King explained that he felt he had fulfilled everything he wanted to do with that character and wanted to move on to other projects, which he ended up doing with the movie “Wonka.” Sally Hawkins shared a similar sentiment concerning her absence from the new Paddington film, which is also sorely missed when watching it.
Paddington is usually a character that goes through many fish-out-of-water scenarios while he is in the London environment. As the title would suggest the film ends up switching up its setting to be in jungles of Peru. For the most part, the way the country is presented in the film is visually pleasing. However, despite its impressive budget of 90 million, the film sets can feel fake at times. There are many points where the film feels less like Paddington and more like a soft “Indiana Jones” film, even including sequences with a character running from a giant boulder. It is not a huge issue for the overall film, but it does feel slightly distracting.
Despite its shortcomings, Paddington in Peru is a film that most will enjoy to some degree. Most of the actors in the film share an infectious level of joy that is hard to resist and makes the journey in the film all the more fun. The film is definitely something that will make most audience members leave the theater with a smile.
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