25/35
Paddington returns to Peru to visit his beloved Aunt Lucy, who is currently living at the Bears’ Retirement Home. The Brown family embarks on an exciting adventure when a mystery takes them on an unexpected journey. The director of the previous two films, Paul King, decided not to direct this installment. However, he came up with the idea for this third film and participated as an executive producer. He appeared on The Graham Norton Show: Billy Crystal/Emily Mortimer/Hugh Bonneville/Pharrell Williams/Michael Kiwanuka (2024). "Paddington" is now happily reunited with the "Brown" family and complete with his own British passport, everything is going smoothly until he receives a letter from faraway Peru. The mother boss of the bears’ retirement home (Olivia Colman) is worried that "Aunt Lucy" is losing the plot a little. Knowing that they are gradually drifting apart, mother "Mary" (Emily Mortimer) decides that they all need the thrill of a road trip – so they head off into the jungle. There they meet "Capt. Cabot" (Antonio Banderas), who runs a local riverboat with his daughter, "Gina" (Cala Tous), and who agrees to take them on their cruise. They arrive at their destination only to discover that the old bear has disappeared, and soon they are in the midst of mischievous machinations that could put them on a dangerous journey to the famous El Dorado. Of course, a legendary treasure, "Paddington" isn’t quite sure who to trust as the trail takes him deeper and deeper into the wilderness! It’s a fun adventure, but it’s a bit slow, the humor isn’t as abundant, and the plot is a bit derivative, with too few bears and too much “Jungle Cruise” (2021) meets “Sound of Music” (1965) . I thought Banderas and Colman mixed it up a bit, and it wasn’t as homely a family-led getaway with far fewer opportunities for Dame Julie Walters to actively participate. The narrative just falls apart a bit without the charm of Michael Bond’s character from his two previous films. It’s still a watchable and enjoyable family film, but I’m not sure I’ll remember it for long. Stick around for the credits – there’s a nice little cameo from who knows who.