PADDINGTON IN PERU -- Franchise Fatigue

Review by Adam Donato

Paddington in Peru continues the journey that was started over a decade ago. It’s really easy for these live action fantasy family films to flounder both critically and commercially, but Paddington has thrived in both regards over two films. Paddington 2 has been elevated to elite conversations and eight years after that film, we get a third installment. Drop the number in the title and replace it with one that’s less daunting to the uninitiated of the franchise. Unfortunately for Paddington, the first two films were such a success that Paul King has gone on to greener pastures and he took Sally Hawkins with him. He’s still attached to this film, but directorial duties have been passed on to Dougal Wilson, who has no major directing credits to his name. All signs point to a dip in quality, but can Paddington in Peru persevere with its absolute optimism?

Like every other Paddington movie, Paddington in Peru is an absolute delight from start to finish. Paddington is such a wholesome and likable protagonist and this third film does a good job wrapping up his overarching story in these three films. The humor is a cut above the cringe fart jokes in most family films of this type. The writing balances all its characters to bring a satisfying conclusion. The music is light and chill like it's always been. There’s nothing glaringly wrong about this third installment, but something does feel like it's missing.

Olivia Colman is a powerhouse addition to the cast. She plays a concerned nun at the home for retired bears who reaches out to Paddington about his Aunt Lucy. This role gives her the opportunity to be very silly and it's clear she’s having a good time, which is infectious to the audience. She is given a musical number that feels like an ambitious swing for these Paddington films. It’s nothing you’ll be adding to your playlist, but it’s cute. Where Colman’s character falls short is the blatant mystery of the character being so obvious, but still pretending like there’s a mystery afoot. It feels very reminiscent of Hugh Grant’s character in the previous film in a derivative way. It also doesn’t help that the conflict of her character doesn’t have any personal weight.

Antonio Banderas also feels reminiscent of Hugh Grant’s character. Almost as if they divided up his qualities among Banderas and Colman. There’s an interesting aspect of Banderas’s inner conflict that’s shown in a visually interesting way. This is done very little with and doesn’t maximize the narrative and comedic aspects available. He plays a ship captain who is obsessed with finding this lost gold, but struggles to balance that desire with the love he has for his daughter. This also carries very little personal weight in regards to our heroes and feels like an ancillary problem. His performance is hammy and goofy, but in a fun way.

A lackluster area in this installment is the special effects. While the Paddington films were never the peak of special effects, they were always more than serviceable. This was a lot easier to accomplish when it’s just a computer generated bear in a simple London setting, but now we’re in the jungles of Peru. There’s a much heavier reliance on CGI in this film, which is just now starting to expose flaws. Maybe animating this film would’ve been an ambitious avenue to take the franchise. Do it in the style of the Peanuts movie where it’s computer generated to look like 2D animation, which would take the franchise back to its storybook roots. This would also help mask the director change and recasting in the film. Maybe Sally Hawkins didn’t have time to be on set, but could go to a recording studio when she’s available. Emily Mortimer does a good job filling the role of Mrs. Brown, but especially during flashback scenes it’s a reminder that this installment is missing something.

The interesting thing about Paddington’s story in these films is not his past, but how he impacts people in the present. Having this film set in Peru really limits the amount of fun side characters that Paddington gets to interact with. There’s a lot of solo time and his mission is devoid of nuance. The story and general quality of the film is reminiscent of Kung Fu Panda 3. Our panda main character has to discover the mystery of where they came from and reunite with their true people. It’s the classic trilogy dynamic where the first movie is great, then the second is even better, and the third one is certainly the lesser of the three. Hard to put blame on King’s departure or franchise fatigue. 

Paddington in Peru only feels like a disappointment because the first two movies were so perfect. This film on its own is an absolute delight for all ages. Audiences are so privileged to be disappointed by a movie that is this good. Luckily, fans came in with adjusted expectations and the film does its best to meet those expectations. The franchise fatigue is nothing compared to the Marvel mess Paddington has to compete with at the box office this weekend. While Captain America will succeed more at home, Paddington will continue to see the majority of its success internationally. It’s a good time at the movies. Classic family fun adventure. Be sure to check this one out in theaters. 

Paddington in Peru is in theaters on February 14. 

Rating: 4/5