Wednesday 10 January 2018

Paddington 2 (2018)

Already a huge hit in the UK, Paddington 2 follows the surprisingly good first Paddington film and guess what, it is also a delight. Perhaps not quite as much of a surprise, and I admit much of the charm of the first film was being in shock of how much I was actually enjoying it, Paddington 2 hits all the right notes and entertains completely.

Like a good British comedy should be it is filled with tonnes of physical humour, all of it good natured and clever. The film is shot it lovely sunny tones, even the prison all decked out in pink to match the transformative mood of this bear. That's the point right? Paddington affects those around him and inspires us without being condescendingly sweet. He just feels natural. The combo that writer/director Paul King and star Ben Whishaw have put together here with this classic character truly works and it works again.

Sequels shouldn't just exist to do more of the same. There need a reason to tell more of the story or a new story. Paddington 2 pushes this limit a bit but really not being much more than what came before. So it's a true achievement to make us forget that and make a truly enjoyable return for this charming little bear.

Paddington 2
Starring: Ben Whishaw, Sally Hawkins, Hugh Grant, Brian Gleeson, Hugh Bonneville, Julie Waters, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi, Joanna Lumley
Director: Paul King
Writers: Paul King, Simon Farnaby

No comments:

Post a Comment