48/29
Paul King, the director of the previous two films, decided not to direct this installment
Scenario
Paddington returns to Peru to visit his beloved Aunt Lucy, who now lives in a retirement home for bears. The Brown family embarks on an exciting adventure when a secret sends them on an unexpected journey.
Seen on Graham Norton in Guest: Billy Crystal/Emily Mortimer/Hugh Bonneville/Pharrell Williams/Michael Kiwanuka (2024)
However, he came up with the idea for this third film and was on board as an executive producer. “Paddington in Peru” is by far the weakest point of the trilogy, with the absence of Paul King and Simon Farnaby clearly visible.
Ben Whishaw remains invaluable with another pitch-perfect performance, so Paddington remains a much-needed balm for the movies
But it’s still a delightful third installment that doesn’t lose heart and, thanks to another satisfying third act, brings everything set in motion in the first act to a beautiful conclusion. It’s a consistently fun adventure that never loses sight of the immigrant story at its core as Paddington tries to reconcile his past and future.
Hugh Bonneville is genuinely funny in his attempt to be more daring, and Emily Mortimer is a worthy replacement, even if Sally Hawkins is absent
Antonio Banderas gets to do everything he was prevented from doing in Dial of Destiny, and he does it with a bang, and Olivia Colman as the dubious singing nun is another big highlight. Dougal Wilson’s direction brings enough slyness to bear, taking ideas from his predecessors and introducing new, imaginative ideas, as well as good references to other films.
As usual, there’s plenty of slapstick here, and it always peaks in unexpected ways
The CGI is used in an unprecedented way, which makes it all the more impressive that the effects that bring Paddington to life don’t falter much this time around despite the huge amount of CG effects.