Film Review: PADDINGTON IN PERU (2024): Third Film in Family Movie Series is Cute Fun but it’s Not as Great as its Predecessor

Paddington in Peru Review

Paddington in Peru (2024) Film Review, a movie directed by Dougal Wilson, written by Mark Burton, Jon Foster and James Lamont and starring Hugh Bonneville, Emily Mortimer, Ben Whishaw, Antonio Banderas, Olivia Colman, Imelda Staunton, Oliver Maltman, Joel Fry, Robbie Gee, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Hugh Grant, Ben Miller, Jessica Hynes, Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin, Hayley Atwell, Carla Tous, Julie Walters and Amit Shah.

Paddington 2 was one of the most enjoyable family films of the year it was released and it even somehow made headlines for being the best-reviewed movie of all-time at one particular juncture. While director Dougal Wilson’s third entry in the series, Paddington in Peru, is certainly fun, it won’t be as highly regarded as the second picture in the franchise. That being said, there are plenty of heart-warming moments in Paddington in Peru that are interspersed around some solid character actors who seem to be having plenty of fun on-screen. This third picture in the Paddington franchise may leave viewers with smiles on their faces but it’s instantly forgettable fun.

This film opens with Paddington (voice of Ben Whishaw) taking a photo for his passport in a picture booth. As usual, our bumbling hero, Paddington, gets into trouble as coins start coming out of the machine and he takes a picture of the side of his face. This is typical and expected from a Paddington movie and the opening scenes lack a certain level of inspiration. When our lovable bear tries to locate his retired Aunt Lucy (voice of Imelda Staunton), Paddington and his human family (the Browns) take off to Peru when they believe that is where she has gone.

Antonio Banderas is featured in the role of Hunter Cabot, a man who commandeers a boat alongside his daughter Gina (Carla Tous). Hunter seems friendly enough so the Browns put some trust in him to get them to their destination. It turns out Hunter has intentions of his own regarding the trip to find Paddington’s aunt who, by the way, has lost her glasses in the interim. Banderas is perfectly cast but the actor isn’t given much to do other than to imagine that a less than noble knight in armor (with his face) is telling him what to do.

Olivia Colman plays the nun (Reverend Mother) helping the Browns out, but even she, too, seems to have an alternate agenda that includes things other than helping Paddington reunite with his aunt. Colman is having fun here and the audience will appreciate her quirky performance which is nothing short of entertaining to watch. Colman hams it up and the viewer will enjoy the results.

Hugh Bonneville as Henry Brown, the dad of the household, ends up on a plane with a creepy crawler on his face in a scene that is also very expected in this type of movie. What is unexpected is a few scenes where Paddington stands up for himself such as when he confronts Hunter. Paddington is more mature in this picture than the last time we saw him and the bear doesn’t spare words when it comes to teaching those who do wrong the errors of their ways.

This picture’s plot becomes a trip to El Dorado to find gold at one point and it’s clear the movie loses direction about halfway through only to redeem itself with a sincere ending. There are too many plot twists and not enough plot to twist. This film’s story is “threadbear” (threadbare) at best. One can still enjoy Emily Mortimer replacing Sally Hawkins in the series but Mortimer is just in the background for the most part of the film until the emotional ending where Mortimer finally gets a moment or two to herself to shine.

Hugh Grant pops up at the very end reprising his wicked role from the previous Paddington movie and it’s a reminder of just how good Paddington 2 was when compared to the mediocre at times, Paddington in Peru. However, just because the film doesn’t rise to the standards of part 2, doesn’t mean kids won’t have a good time. Antonio Banderas and Olivia Colman play their characters in a cartoon style that doesn’t make them too threatening even when they are indeed threatening Paddington and his human family.

As the Brown kids, Madeleine Harris and Samuel Joslin are solid. Joslin’s character is an inventor who needs to get out of his parents’ house and this makes for some clever, albeit brief, humor within the film. Carla Tous is excellent as Banderas’s character’s daughter and has charm to spare. As for more seasoned performers, look out for the great Jim Broadbent in a surprising appearance as well.

I call them as I see them and Paddington in Peru had much more potential than this film actually delivers on. If the series weren’t so firmly established as a children’s series favorite franchise, I may have been hesitant to recommend it. I’m giving it a seal of approval but “bearly” (barely). Paddington, himself, needed a little more development too as the human actors stole the rug right out from underneath him at times, namely Olivia Colman. However, the moral of this movie is to be kind and love your family. How can I reject a message like that when everyone on-screen is trying so hard?

Rating: 7/10

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