When Paddington discovers his beloved aunt has gone missing from the Home for Retired Bears, he and the Brown family head to the jungles of Peru to find her. Determined to solve the mystery, they soon stumble across a legendary treasure as they make their way through the rainforests of the Amazon.
Director: Dougal Wilson
Cast: Hugh Bonneville, Emily Mortimer, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Carla Tous, Olivia Colman, Antonio Banderas, Ben Whishaw
Release Date: February 14, 2025
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Family, Mystery
Rated PG for action, mild rude humor and some thematic elements.
Runtime: 1h 46m
Review:
Paddington's third outing shakes up the formula by moving to a more action adventure focus which gives this entry a different feeling while never losing the family friendly charm of the first two films. Dougal Wilson does an admirable job taking over the reins from Paul King who directed the first two well-regarded entries. Wilson can conjure up a similar sense of whimsical fun throughout even if he can't quite match the levels of his magical predecessor. That's not to say this entry isn't as earnest and heartfelt as those previous entries but just lighter throughout as we follow Paddington's adventure through the Peruvian jungle as he searches for Aunt Lucy and a mystical city. Ben Whishaw easily moves back into the titular bear's hat and duffel coat proving more than capable of exuding his polite charm through the screen. Whishaw again does an excellent job of balancing the sillier and more emotional moments with impressive ease. Hugh Bonneville and Julie Walters reprise their roles from the first two entries as the Brown patriarch and housekeeper with Emily Mortimer taking over for Sally Hawkins as Mary Brown. Mortimer along with Madeleine Harris and Samuel Joslin, as the pair's older children, brings a slightly different energy to the family as the kids are growing up and starting on their own journey's. The returning and new cast members manage to give the audience an authentic sense of the love that exists in their family and their ability to come together. Olivia Colman and Antonio Banderas are clearly having a great time hamming it up in key supporting roles. Colman brings her very specific sort of energy to her instantly suspicious Mother Superior while Banderas has fun being able to play a larger array of personas. Throughout all the jungle hijinks Paddington and his family encounter, the story still manages to stay grounded with the series' overarching theme of family whether it be by blood or chance.
B+
