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Paddington 2 Movie Review

Paddington 2 is a 2017 live-action family film directed by Paul King and starring Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins and Hugh Grant. It is an absolutely stupendous movie.

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“Aunt Lucy said – if we’re kind and polite,

the world will be right“

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Now I really liked the first Paddington film. I didn’t love it and it has its flaws, but it was certainly a breath of fresh air in the family movie marker. However, Paddington 2 entirely trumps its predecessor as it is a better film on all fronts. That was unexpected and the franchise should be commended for striving to improve.

The plot is very simple, but it works as the film is so charming. Paddington wants to buy a present for his aunt Lucy which is a very expensive book about London. However, the villain is after the book which is a map for treasure and thus he steals it and the bear is wrongfully accused and imprisoned. Certainly there is a similarity with this film and ‘A Close Shave’ where Gromit was also imprisoned, but other than that, the film is all its own.

The beginning is immensely charming and the entire prison part was the highlight for me. It was a throwback to all those earlier Harry Potter films as those scenes oozed with charm and brilliant execution in terms of both comedy and characterization. The ending is so incredibly sweet, but most of the third act is disappointing and not as great as the previous parts as it had way too much action and spectacle with those train scenes. But thankfully the rest of the film is restrained in its approach.

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Paddington is as lovely as ever. He is such an innocent, wonderful soul whom you just got to love and I did. I cared and rooted for him as he is so inherently good, yet never boring. That is a rarity for today’s family flicks. Henry and Mary are both excellent and Sally Hawkins and Hugh Bonneville are immensely likable in those roles.

I loved each and every prisoner and although the prison was unrealistic in how it was portrayed, it worked in the context of the film and I simply loved it. Brendan Gleeson as Knuckles is phenomenal. And of course Hugh Grant is excellent in the villain role. Even though I dislike the actor, here I liked him quite a bit as he played it comically and charismatically. A major improvement over Nicole Kidman’s villain in the previous film.

Paddington 2 is beautifully made across the board. The direction from Paul King is stellar, the acting is strong across the board and the pacing is pretty good as well. The film flies by how fun and wonderful it is. Even though the plot is somewhat simplistic and the third act is disappointing, the film is mostly excellent and as close to perfect as live-action family films today can be.

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What I particularly admired about this film is its world building and attention to detail. This is basically a giant love letter to London and I just loved those pup-up sequences, the entire imagery of the town as well as the exploration of both the prison and the city itself. The bear looks great and is perfectly incorporated into his real surroundings. The score and cinematography are excellent and the movie truly is a treat. It has a great humor and a giant heart and is one of those movies which you can’t help but simply adore.

Paddington 2 is such a lovely film. The third act is somewhat disappointing, but the prison sequences are fantastic and very amusing, the villain is a major improvement over the previous film’s villain and once again the Browns are an endearing bunch. This film is so beautifully made across the board with gorgeous imagery, terrific attention to detail and such splendid production design. It has wonderful humor and a giant heart leading to a remarkable improvement over its predecessor and one of the best live-action family films of the decade. The flick oozes charm in its very frame and it’s so delightfully British.

My Rating – 4.5