Paddington in Perudoes not arrive in North America until January, but with the sequel set to debut in the United Kingdom this week, the reviews are already in, and it looks to be another delightful entry in the franchise. Created by author Michael Bond, Paddington has been a staple of children’s literature for nearly seven decades. Two successful and critically acclaimed feature films,PaddingtonandPaddington 2, have already been released, and fans are eagerly awaitingPaddington in Peru.
Paddington in Perudebuted onRotten Tomatoeswith a score of 91% based on 22 reviews. This is certainly impressive for a family film, but is a slight disappointment for thePaddingtonfranchise as it is belowPaddington’s 97% andPaddington 2’s 99%. With more reviews coming soon, it is likely thePaddington in Peruscore will drop more than rise to match its predecessors. Critics almost unanimously see it as a step-down from bothPaddingtonand the belovedPaddington 2, even among those who did enjoy the movie.
Nicole Austin ofMovieMakergave the film three stars and wrote,“WhilePaddington in Perudoesn’t quite capture the charm and magic of the second installment, (sorry Paddington, please don’t break out the dreaded Hard Stare) there’s undeniably still bags of heartwarming moments and delightful adventure to enjoy.”
Peter Bradshaw said in his review forThe Guardian,“ThisPaddingtonthreequel is a perfectly decent bet for the holidays, and never anything other than entertaining, but the gag density has thinned out and removing Paddington from Blighty… is a slightly shark-jumping move.”
In a more negative review,William Bibbani ofThe Wrapwrote,“It’s deeply unfortunate thatPaddington in Perustinks. It’s exactly the kind of bland, forgettable dreck that we probably all expected thePaddingtonmovies to be in the first place, before they wowed us and raised our expectations. The new film has some heart, but it’s buried beneath a lot of hackneyed writing and tedious padding. Like, a ton of padding. A padding ton.”
Meanwhile,Leia Latif ofTotal Filmsaid in her review,“This one, directed by Dougal Wilson, feels ponderous and slow. The slapstick scrapes Paddington gets into are effortful and all the scripted jokes are painstakingly explained, as if younger audience members are dim.”
David Ehrlich ofIndieWiremight have summed up the film’s mixed results best in his C+ review, saying,“There’s no denying that even Paul King’s table scraps taste better than most of what family audiences have been served over the last six years.”
Great Expectations for Paddington’s Return
The general response toPaddington in Peruamong critics is that it is an enjoyable family film, but it does not reach the heights of its predecessors.Paddington in Perucertainly has had a lot of expectations put on it in the seven years sincePaddington 2hit theaters.Paddington 2holds the record for the best-reviewed film on Rotten Tomatoes, even beatingCitizen Kane.Paddington 2is so universally beloved that there’s a joke about it in Nicolas Cage’s comedyThe Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. One of the biggest factors affecting the quality ofPaddington in Peruis a change in the creative team behind the scenes.
Paddington 4 & a TV Series Spinoff Are Officially On The Way
The upcoming Paddington in Peru will not be the final film for the lovable bear as Paddington 4 is in the works alongside a television series.
Paul King, who directedPaddingtonandPaddington 2, stepped away from the franchise to directWonka.Music video director Douglas Wilson stepped into the director’s chair.Paddington in Perualso has a new screenwriting team, as James Lamont and Jon Foster have moved up from the Nickelodeon seriesMy Adventures With Paddingtonto become lead writers ofPaddington in PerualongsideWallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbitco-writer Mark Burton, replacing previous writers Paul King and Simon Farnaby. Meanwhile, star Sally Hawkins dropped out ofPaddington in Peru, with the role of Mrs. Brown being filled by Emily Mortimer. While much of the original cast did return, including Ben Whishaw as the voice of Paddington, it feels like a few ingredients were missing from this long-awaited third entry.
WithPaddington in Peruopening overseas two whole months before its United States release, it will be interesting to see if the more mixed word of mouth will hurt its domestic box office prospects.
Paddington in Peru
