Paddington 2 (2017)

Title:  Paddington 2

Year:  2017

Genre:  Adventure | Comedy | Family |

Runtime:  95 min

Director:  Paul King

Starring: Hugh Bonneville, Ben Whishaw, Sally Hawkins

7.8/10

The sequel to the first live-action from 2014, starts off in Peru and Paddington in this film has a curious adventure. He gets into jail for stealing a book and does everything to clear his name. This witty little bear with his charm and intelligence brings a new perspective to the world which is why the bear is so wildly popular.

The plot is not remarkable at all. It’s straightforward a family film with a few instances of action. Instead, the core of the film is the politeness and integrity these characters uphold. Plus, Hugh Grant surprisingly good performance as Phoenix, who is an important character just like Brendan Gleeson as Mr Knuckles whom Paddington meets in jail.

The whole message of the film is to find good in people whether they’re bad or good. In this one, they succeed and that’s why it’s such a hit. It’s an uplifting, promising feature with astonishing good graphics on the bear, which proves that these filmmakers really care for the adaptation source from Michael Bond who wrote the original. Even more astonishing is that this film is even better than the last. Maybe it’s a sequel and it doesn’t need any further developments. However, the pace is good.

The humour is charming although the plot is simple, maybe too simple.  The actors do their job with determination. There’s a sensibility behind the script and the three-part formula works for this film even if it is predictable in its places. It’s a happy film, which is a rare thing, even five years after it was made. Given that it’s a family film, nothing is like this. Nothing is pink and happy, only dealing with a bleak grey world. In the end, it’s a great getaway if you want pink clothes, a marmalade, and a small mystery.