Cast: Ben Whishaw, Hugh Bonneville, Emily Mortimer, Antonio Banderas, Olivia Colman, Julie Walters, Samuel Joslin, Madeleine Harris
Rating: 3/5
Director: Dougal Wilson
Runtime: 106 min.
The sweet, furry hero of “Paddington in Peru” who carries marmalade sandwiches under his red stained bucket hat, is in for a third adventure, this time with music video director Dougal Wilson helming it in his feature debut. The first two films in this series, “Paddington” and “Paddington 2,” were directed by Paul King.
As in King’s earlier two entries, the template for Paddington’s adventures remain largely unchanged – just a few added individualistic tweaks manage to lend this experience a rather pleasing personality. The animation remains supple and Ben Whishaw’s vocal work is competent enough to see to the rest. The script was written by Mark Burton, Jon Foster, James Lamont, based on a screen story by Paul King, Simon Farnaby, Mark Burton, and the book ‘Paddington Bear’ by Michael Bond.
Paddington goes to Peru, to visit his beloved Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton) who was living at a Home for Retired Bears but now she is nowhere to be seen. Paddington’s adoptive family The Browns namely Henry (Hugh Bonneville), Mary( Emily Mortimer), Judy ( Madeleine Harris), and Jonathan (Samuel Joslin) accompany him in this adventure.
When they arrive at the Home for Retired Bears headed by The Reverend Mother (Olivia Colman looking like Julie Andrews in ‘The Sound of Music’), they discover that Aunt Lucy has disappeared leaving behind her glasses and bracelet. A chance discovery of a map in Lucy’s room leads them to Rumi Rock, and thereafter to El Dorado or so they hope.The mystery plunges them into an unexpected journey through the Amazon rainforest and up to the mountain peaks of Peru and a thrilling adventure ensues.
This setup is a sort of homage to classic movies, with the jungle as a backdrop – most notably John Huston’s “The African Queen,” and “Paddington in Peru” has its own version of the series of rides down perilous rapids. The sweaty, goofy boat captain, Hunter Cabot (Antonio Banderas) who travels the Amazon with his plucky teenage daughter Gina (Carla Tous) looks suspiciously like a version of Allnut from the former.
This movie is all-out fun and cute. It’s a slapstick comedy oozing sentiment, and has free-wheeling performances from most of its cast. Judy, Jonathan, and Gina may not have much to do but make their presence felt nevertheless. Bonneville’s running gag involving Henry’s fear of a specific breed of giant tropical spider, lends levity to the proceedings. Colman and Banderas make it a joy ride altogether.
