There’s not much point in being critical of a film like Paddington In Peru. The fact of the matter is that the threequel was never going to top the insurmountable heights of Paddington 2, famously elected by popular vote as the greatest film of all time back in 2017.
At its best, the film understands this and rules wisely that simply giving us more of this universe is enough. Everything we love about Paddington is still here; the Keaton-esque slapstick hijinks, the beautifully tender family moments and of course, a world operating exclusively on the moral compass of good manners. It is a testament to the filmmakers that the creative transition of power (with previous director Paul King having left for Wonka) feels entirely seamless. This is at all times the same bear we fell in love with back in 2014.
There are issues; the titular gimmick removes a lot of the fish out of water comedy that enriched the preceding films, replacing it with some fairly rote jungle-themed gags (Mr Brown at one point wakes up mistaking a creature’s tongue for that of his wife, hilarity ensues). On the other hand, Antonio Banderas’ villain Hunter Cabot presents largely as a cheap redo of Hugh Grant’s vainglorious Phoenix Buchanan. Greed, charisma and costumes aplenty don’t disguise the fact that this is a retread; while the location reeks of trying too hard to change things up, the choice of villain suggests that in some respects the filmmakers were content just to rest on their laurels.
But these are nitpicks in what is primarily a marmalade-sweet romp reuniting audiences with the most endearing young bear maybe in the history of the medium. The third act especially taps into the mischievous blend of action-comedy and family values which comes to the surface in so many of the franchise's greatest moments. The chain of events taking us from a chase through ruins (featuring a preposterous, seemingly sentient rolling boulder) to a face-off with a blunderbuss-carrying musical nun is as whimsical as anything in the original (if not quite at the level of Paddington 2).
The title really is the giveaway here; to call this film Paddington 3 would be to invite direct comparisons to its predecessor, but this is more of an episodic side adventure than an attempt to outdo what has come before. Misgivings aside, I laughed, I cried and I gasped whenever Paddington fell off a high ledge. It's perfectly amicable family entertainment in an era where such things have become increasingly rare. Wherever the Brown family go next, you can rest assured I’ll be there with sandwiches.
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