(spoiler free)
‘Paddington’ was one of, if not, the best family film of 2014 so it’s no surprise that everyone’s favourite immigrant is back again for another adventure! ‘Paddington 2’ sees the young bear in search of the perfect gift for his Aunt Lucy’s 100th birthday. He eventually settles on a unique pop-up book of London, however soon after this the book is stolen and guess who’s culprit number one!?
I love how quaint the narrative here is, it’s such an sweet and innocent story seeing Paddington try to obtain the perfect gift for his beloved Aunt Lucy. Of course this develops into something slightly more substantial for the purposes of entertainment but it never looses those simple foundations and heartfelt motives. ‘Paddington 2’ has humour, heart and fun in abundance and it’s the effortless blending of these elements that make it such a joy to watch. Paul King returns from the original to write the screenplay for the sequel, this time he’s got a little help from Simon Farnaby too though who also receives a writing credit. The pair easily recreate the magic from the first film and capture the wonderfully pure and wholesome nature of Michael Bond’s most charming character to much success.
Ben Whishaw, the voice of Paddington, of course plays a large role in this success too. He’s so perfectly suited to this character, the soft sincerity in his voice makes you forget that Paddington is a CGI creation instead you immediately accept him at face value. Whishaw is surrounded by a fantastic live action ensemble cast too. Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters and many more brilliant performers reprise their roles here being just as entertaining as the first time round. There are great collection of smaller cameo like roles too, writer Farnaby probably has the best of these! There are a number of new additions to the cast for the sequel too and each of these further enhanced the quality of the already very impressive range of performers featured. Brendan Gleeson brilliantly portrays prisoner, Knuckles McGinty and normally would have stolen the show. However that accolade has to go to the antagonist of the film, Hugh Grant’s struggling actor Phoenix Buchanan. Grant is clearly having a ball here and as a result so do the audience, he’s as camp as Christmas and offers the perfect level of villainy for this family adventure.
‘Paddington 2’ once more shows audiences just how lovable this little bear is. Nearly sixty years on from his first book appearance and here he is still entertaining young and old fans a like. Everyone involved in this sequel has crafted yet another heart-warming tale to add to the countless collection of Paddington’s stories. Perfect for families this Christmas, ‘Paddington’ is a special reminder of human (or bear) nature at it’s best.
Written by Hamish Calvert
Rating – 8/10
Question: What is your all time favourite family film?
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