Paddington in Peru movie review: Third time’s not the charm

And the answer here, in this third film on the lovable bear with a red hat, blue jacket and an endless supply of marmalade, in good old London, is touch and go.

Paddington in Peru does not have the charm or the wit or the plaintive appeal of the first two films on the bear, as conceived by Paul King, whose very essence was finding its feet and home in the big city. The Peru chapter packs in a lot more adventure on a technically higher scale, and ends up hurting a story whose essence is its simplicity, such as a family home and a bare sandwich.

Plus, there is no Sally Hawkins this time to provide this story a heart. She was the Mary Brown of the previous two films, and while Mortimer bravely takes up the role this time, you sorely miss Hawkins and that smile that seems to embrace the whole world. If not the world, then at least one little orphaned bear looking for a home.

The idea behind Paddington in Peru is to do the same in reverse, with Paddington now setting out to find himself in his original home, in the South American country. Aunt Lucy (voiced by Staunton) has gone missing, and alerted by the Revered Nun of the Home for Retired Bears (Colman) in Lima, the Browns set out to find her across the Amazon. Banderas turns up as the dashing owner-captain of a boat who offers to take the Browns to where Aunt Lucy might be.

There is a lot more to the Peruvian jungles than bears, rivers, tarantulas and snakes. For one, there are the Inca legends, stories of lost gold and cities, talismans and prophetic statues. And amidst all this, there are the Browns, blundering around, including Paddington.

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There is a brief moment where the two worlds of Paddington come beautifully together, where he climbs to the top of a tree and looks out at the large canopy of forest around him, holding the best of British umbrellas against the rain.

It invokes that lost bear of that long time ago, sitting on a platform as the storm of a busy station broke around him. It’s much too fleeting.

Paddington in Peru movie director: Dougal Wilson
Paddington in Peru movie cast: Ben Whishaw (voice), Hugh Bonneville, Emily Mortimer, Imelda Staunton (voice), Olivia Colman, Antonio Banderas, Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin
Paddington in Peru movie rating: 2.5 stars