Paddington 2 (2017) - Review

When I walked into Paddington 2, I had certain assumptions about what this film would be: A silly, childish romp that would serve its target demographic, but leave me looking at my watch. However, much like how the titular bear surprises his English neighbours, this film exceeded my expectations.

In Paddington 2, Paddington longs for the perfect gift for his aunt, Lucy. When a pop-up book Paddington has his eye on gets stolen, Paddington is jailed, forced to learn the social rules inside a prison, while the Brown family is left to track down the mysterious thief and clear Paddington's name.

The real strength of the movie is it's warm comedy. Geared towards children, the jokes never made me feel stupid for watching. I genuinely laughed out loud a few times throughout. Hugh Grant is the stand-out performer as the nefarious actor Phoenix Buchanan - stick through the credits for a delightful musical number - while Sally Hawkins and Hugh Bonneville are serviceable as Mr. and Mrs. Brown.

The CGI'd Paddington is also terrific, with scenes staged in such a way to avoid any awkward/obvious green screen issues. Paddington's set pieces are reserved mostly to interacting with static backgrounds and other CGI objects, as opposed to physical actors. What could have been a restriction is overcome with good direction (Paul King) and cinematography (Erik Wilson).

Whether you are a parent with kids looking for a family film, or a movie buff seeking something to break up the blockbusters and Oscar favourites, Paddington 2 is a charming, heartfelt option worth FULL PRICE!