Director: Paul King.
Starring: Ben Whishaw, Hugh Grant, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Noah Taylor, Brendan Gleeson, Peter Capaldi.
I have to shamefully admit, I haven’t seen the first film which was released back in 2014; and I also have to admit that Paddington Bear wasn’t exactly my cup of tea whilst growing up. Though the famous fictional bear that was first created by Michael Bond in 1958 is undeniably adored with books selling more than 35millions copies across the globe. He’s considered very much apart of our iconic british heritage and even though I’m not totally fond of the bear, I’m aware of the famous duffle coat, fishing hat and his love of marmalade sandwiches.
Paddington, though not yet fully climatized to life in busy London, has made it his home and wishes to send something back to his Aunt Lucy who resides in Paddington’s origins, in the “darkest Peru”. But this something has to be meaningful; a matching, strong characteristic of the lovable bear, who’s also kind-hearted and forever polite. A rare pop-up book catches his eye, and he sets about raising funds to purchase the antique book which gives hilarious substance to his story.
However the book is a lot more than what it seems, and unfortunately for Paddington, someone else has their keen eye on it and he ends up on the wrong side of the law supposedly caught red pawed. Paddington is sent to prison to make some unlikely new friends whilst his surrogate family, The Brown’s carry out their own investigation to prove Paddington’s innocence.
Whishaw is perfect for voicing Paddington, so much so, I can’t think of any other voice voicing him. The rest of the cast still give up the goods though obviously outshone by Paddington. However, Grant’s performance is great and being the conniving, pompous villain really suits him.
Its touching, charming, heartwarming and delightful. I can’t imagine anyone disliking the film or finding it boring, and it’s not a short film for its genre. It’s the perfect family film The cast and crew should be immensely proud of what they have achieved, urging me to watch the first film and I’m sure Michael Bond, would be incredibly pleased, God rest his soul, who sadly partly passed away in June.
Running Time: 8
The Cast: 8
Performance: 8
Direction: 8
Story: 8
Script: 8
Creativity: 8
Soundtrack: 7
Job Description: 9
The Extra Bonus Point: 10 just for Paddington and for urging me to watch the first film.
82% 8/10
