Yahoo Movies Paddington in Peru and the impossible task of topping Paddington 2
The third film in the Paddington franchise is out now in cinemas
Paddington in Peru had a difficult challenge ahead of it even before cameras began rolling: how could the threequel possibly live up to the dizzying heights of Paddington 2?
Paul King's 2017 follow-up is perfect in every way; funnier than the original Paddington 2 is full of joy and whimsy that took the marmalade-loving bear's character in new directions. It also featured a brilliantly camp performance from Hugh Grant, whose performance, really, is what makes the film work so well, which is why his absence is so noticeable in Paddington in Peru.
And lets not forget the absolutely delightful musical number that the film ends on, which sees Phoenix get the most out of his "captive audience" by finally performing his one-man show. It's the perfect note to end the perfect movie on, and it left the franchise with a lot to live up to.
That's not to say the third film doesn't have interesting villains, Olivia Colman and Antonio Banderas step up to the plate to do just that as Mother Reverend and Hunter Cabot, respectively, but neither are able to bring the same level of energy to the role as Grant does with Phoenix Buchanan.
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It's not for lack of trying, it's just that Grant goes so far and loses himself in the role so completely that no one can match it. Grant's happiness to poke fun at his own celebrity and not take himself too seriously makes Phoenix such a stand out villain that even two bad guys couldn't measure up.
King's absence from the film is also noticeable. The filmmaker stepped back as director of the third film in order to make Wonka, which has a similar feel to the Paddington movies. No one quite does whimsy like King, he has a unique eye for it and brings it to the forefront through delightfully quirky characters and the sweet, yet funny, interactions that they share.
For example, in Paddington 2 Brendan Gleeson's Knuckles provides an interesting foil for Paddington when he is sent to prison after being falsely accused of stealing a pop-up book. At first Knuckles comes across as a brute who suffers no fools and has no interest in making friends, but thanks to Paddington showing him the joys of marmalade, he begins to see the joy in life again.
It's a perfect metaphor for viewers watching the film, in some respect. Paddington 2 is a film that just makes everything seem better, so how can you top that? The answer is, really, you can't.
Paddington 2 was a lightning in a bottle movie, a film that instantly captures the magic of cinema. Viewers go back to it year after year — there's a reason it's always on TV at Christmas — and the level of nostalgia it can generate for film fans only seven years after its release is astounding.
Paddington in Peru is a delightful film, and certainly on par with the very first Paddington movie in terms of how entertaining it is. It has nods to Indiana Jones and Buster Keaton that work beautifully, but there isn't anything that takes it above and beyond that word "entertaining".
Perhaps it is because it hits a lot of the same notes as Paddington 2 that means, deliberately or not, the characters are experiencing the same dilemmas they faced in the second film. For example Mr Brown (Hugh Bonneville) wants to try and embrace risk to do well at work, something he already went through and achieved in Paddington 2. While Banderas' Hunter Cabot is plagued by the voices of his ancestors in a way that brings to mind how Phoenix talked to his old characters, it's not exactly the same but it is evidently trying to mimic it.
Paddington in Peru's central message about an immigrant's journey to finding family and his place in a new world is also something that was served up in its predecessors.
The problem with mimicry is that it'll never feel as good as what came before it. But the good news is that Paddington in Peru is enjoyable enough that viewers probably won't care much that they're being presented a similar storyline, at least.
Paddington will always be a delightful watch, and while the franchise might never find a way to beat Paddington 2 that doesn't make it any less worthwhile. Michael Bond created something special when he first came up with the duffel coat-wearing Bear, and I for one am happy to keep following his adventures for many more movies to come.
Paddington in Peru is in cinemas now.
