After two Paddington films that were funny and charming enough to win over audiences even without children, expectations have been high for a third entry. But this latest outing doesn’t quite deliver the big laughs or clever storytelling families have come to expect.
Currently in theaters family comedy Paddington in Peru, which takes the soft-spoken spectacled bear and his adopted London family into his native jungles of South America, in search of Paddington’s Aunt Lucy, still holds kids’ attention.
There’s little that's objectionable, though (spoiler alert!) a woman dressed as a nun turns out to be a treasure seeker running a con, and images of spiders and some brief spooky references may frighten the youngest viewers.
But this threequel has changed up too many elements of the earlier films, both on-screen and behind the scenes, to give it the same understated wit and visual panache.
Considering the creative achievement of this franchise – Paddington 2 is the highest ranked sequel ever, according to Rotten Tomatoes – an average follow-up is certainly a let-down.
Based on the beloved British children’s book series by Michael Bond, the talking bear from “darkest Peru” first showed up at London’s Paddington Station in a 1958 picture book.
Paddington, who addresses people with proper “Mr.” and “Miss” titles and oozes kindness, as voiced in the films by Ben Wishaw, creates chaos as he navigates modern-day London. He’s taken in by the Brown family -- a nuclear family of four, in a well-to-do neighborhood -- and soon considered family.
Paul King, writer-director of the first two Paddington films, in close partnership with producer David Heyman (of the Harry Potter franchise), brought an optimism, wonder, and British formality that took the teddy to heights unforeseen.
A few wildly original comedic sequences in Paddington 2 may never be topped in terms of sheer delight, from Paddington washing high-rise windows in London to becoming assistant chef of a high-security prison. The tone of it is pitch-perfect, laugh-out-loud, fun for the whole family.
Sadly, King and Heyman moved to the big-budget Wonka remake next and kept little role in the franchise they built. On Paddington in Peru, King has only a story credit (alongside two other writers) and an executive producer role, and Heyman isn’t listed among a dozen producers.
In the plot and especially tone of the new film, their absence is keenly felt.
As Paddington in Peru opens, the family’s growing pains are evident, much like the film itself.
Oldest daughter Judy (Madeline Harris) is soon to enter college while high-schooler Jonathan (Samuel Joslin) stays in his room playing video games. In a voiceover, Paddington laments how the Browns live in the same home but barely interact.
The parents, meanwhile, face midlife crises, with father Henry (Hugh Bonneville) entering a new insurance company that emphasizes embracing risk. And Mary Brown -– with Emily Mortimer taking over for Sally Hawkins –- turns to painting to deal with the impending empty nest.
Early in the film, Mary reminisces about their young family once all fitting on the same couch, and her impressionistic painting comes to life in a beautifully sentimental sequence. It’s a touch of the franchise’s earlier magic though such moments are few and far between.
Paddington manages to bring the family together for what promises to be a holiday, as the bear learns his Aunt Lucy in Peru needs him. Soon, a series of gags involving international travel and Peruvian mountain roads play out.
They arrive at a remote Home for Retired Bears, run by the Reverend Mother (Olivia Colman) and a group of nuns . . . and Aunt Lucy’s absence isn’t all that seems off. Soon, a hidden map emerges and Paddington insists they venture into the Amazon wild to find his lost bear aunt.
The family books a riverboat captained by the apparent villain, Hunter Cabot (Antonio Banderas), who is driven to fulfill his ancestors’ quest for the El Dorado treasure.
Soon, Paddington in Peru becomes a preschool-friendly version of Disney’s Jungle Cruise (itself not a very good movie), though with less spectacle and worse pacing.
Taking Paddington out of London and into the jungle, he’s still accident-prone and a fish out of water, but the comedy rarely lands with the same over-the-top energy.
Even more jarring for franchise fans, the joyful tone of earlier films has been replaced by peril, mystery, and some light religious themes worth scrutinizing. Treasure-hungry ancestors seem to haunt Banderas’ captain, and some talk of forest spirits is also a bit too spooky.
Colman’s Reverend Mother, introduced in a fun musical romp with some references to The Sound of Music, may be the film’s biggest standout but also concern. Running an assisted-living home for bears deep in the remote jungle, her mission is revealed to be an elaborate ruse.
Her con often references St. Christopher, the patron saint of travelers. She gives Mary a pendant with the saint’s icon -– later revealed to be a digital tracking device.
“All it takes to dispel the darkness is to light one candle of faith,” says the Reverend Mother, a takeoff of The Christophers’ actual motto.
The only character expressing any religious beliefs –- often exclaiming, “The Lord be praised” or “Hallelujah” –- she is later unmasked as a merciless treasure-seeker. The tired trope will make some parents, especially Catholic ones, wary.
Comedic action scenes in the film’s back half, including Paddington piloting the boat down river rapids, and the villain’s lengthy chase of the bear (and his trusty Windsor umbrella) amidst Incan ruins, propel the plot forward with tension and humor.
However, because adult viewers can tell that almost every scene occurs on a movie set rather than any real jungle, several stretches of the caper plod along. It’s a far cry from the quality storytelling we’ve seen from the Paddington films up to now.
The ending has some surprises that will make fans smile, including a few callbacks to earlier films. It wraps up emphasizing family bonds as what brings life meaning. A montage of amusing end-credit scenes in London underline what this flick was missing for most of its runtime.
Paddington in Peru is a a perfectly fine, diverting 106 minutes for kids, even down to age four, though a middling entry in what was once a top-tier family franchise. With a fourth Paddington film and spin-off TV series already announced, hopefully King and Heyman can reengage to right the ship.
Image: Sony Pictures Releasing
Freelance journalist Josh Shepherd writes on faith and culture for several media outlets. He and his family live in central Florida.
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