Paddington in Peru (dir. Dougal Wilson)
By: Adam Freed
As far as film sequels are concerned, “more” rarely translates to “better”. Hollywood leaves in its mighty wake the disappointing remains of second films that simply didn’t need to exist beyond an opportunistic grasp at the almighty dollar. This however was certainly not the case for director Paul King’s monumental family sequel Paddington 2 (2017), a heartfelt and sentimental film that breathes new life and appreciable meaning into the story of the well mannered, albeit accident prone, titular bear. In the world of film sequels, there are few more successful or culturally relevant than Paddington 2. Which is why the arrival of a second sequel, Paddington in Peru, more than a decade removed from its original source material, was reason for fans of the Peruvian bruin to brace themselves for the impact of disappointment. Adding to this trepidation is the exit of original director Paul King (Paddington, Wonka), known for the ability to inject inferior source material with a mirror-like sentiment, making the end product greater than the sum of its original parts. While many of the hesitations from the Paddington faithful prove to be warranted, new director Dougal Wilson pilots a serviceable third installment far above the jungles of disaster but nowhere near the peaks of its predecessor.
Paddingon Brown, the adopted ward of the Brown family, lives a peaceful existence in West London, at 32 Winter Gardens, a diverse upper class neighborhood that exudes the type of mutual respect and emotional generosity from which the world could greatly benefit. Paddington, voiced again by an inviting Ben Whishaw (Skyfall, The Lobster), is shocked to learn that his beloved Aunt Lucy is struggling while living at a home for retired bears on the edge of Peru’s Amazon basin. As one may expect, given their prior generosity, the Brown family soars to Aunt Lucy’s aid, crossing the Atlantic and therefore reversing the “fish out of water” story that allowed Paddington to connect to so many children across the globe. The distinctly British family, headed by Mr. and Mrs. Brown, played by Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey) and Emily Mortimer (Mary Poppins Returns) respectively, naively wade into dangerous Amazonian waters as they attempt to support their beloved bear. It feels as if the Paddington premise is far more secure on English soil as the third film in the trilogy offers a wobbly plot at best, once Peru becomes the story’s backdrop. Paddington in Peru approaches, but never cements a greater purpose as much of its South American silliness ensues.
Adding gravity to the film’s call sheet are Academy Award winning actress Olivia Colman (The Favourite, The Crown) and Anotonio Banderas (Babygirl, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish) who despite the monumental nature of their collective gifts are relatively underutilized within a film that centers its CG protagonist and leaves little dynamic room for supporting involvement. Paddington in Peru is a serviceable adventure that even in its best moments, is only good enough to remind loyalists of the yawning gulf between it and Paddington 2. There are strong wafts of the self reflective sentimentality that the franchise has come to embody, but even at its apex, the third franchise entry never comes near the emotional warmth of either of Paul King’s superior prior entries.
Target Score: 6.5/10 - The lovable British bear and his adoptive family take the franchise overseas as Paddington attempts to rescue his Aunt Lucy from the heartache she experiences in the heart of Peruvian Amazonia. While much of the heartfelt DNA of the franchise still exists, Paddington in Peru offers the first observable cracks in the trilogy of family films that have, as of yet, been unbreakable.