Paddington in Peru Review: Antonio Banderas and Olivia Colman are fantastic in this family adventure

Ben Whishaw returns as the lovable, iconic bear in an adventure story fit for Indiana Jones.

Plot: When Paddington discovers his beloved aunt has gone missing from the Home for Retired Bears, he and the Brown family head to the jungles of Peru to find her. Determined to solve the mystery, they soon stumble across a legendary treasure as they make their way through the rainforests of the Amazon.

Review: There is no way that any person can dislike the Paddington films. Beautifully made and whimsically appealing for all ages, the first Paddington was a treat when it hit screens a decade ago, and the sequel was a nearly perfect movie in every way. Seven years have passed since Paddington 2 was released, and the world has survived a pandemic and societal shifts aplenty. Having a rousing adventure that the whole family can enjoy together is a welcome respite from all the other things going on, and Paddington in Peru is up to the challenge. With a change in writer and director, Paddington in Peru is not quite as good as its predecessors. However, it remains a refreshing, bright, optimistic, feel-good movie with stellar turns from new additions to the cast, Antonio Banderas and Olivia Colman. You will be hard-pressed to find much to complain about with this movie aside from the fact that it took so long to finally hit theaters state-side.

The first Paddington film follows the titular bear (voiced by Ben Whishaw) as he departs Darkest Peru to explore London. The second found Paddington embraced by his foster family, The Browns, as he was framed and sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. In the third film, Paddington is now a British citizen and uses his passport to return to his homeland when word arrives that his Aunt Lucy (voiced by Imelda Staunton) has gone missing from the Home for Retired Bears. Mrs. Brown (Emily Mortimer, replacing Sally Hawkins) encourages the clan to go to Peru with Paddington after she notices the distance between the family members. Mr. Brown (Hugh Bonneville) feels he must embrace risk to impress his new boss, Madison (Hayley Atwell). At the same time, teens Judy (Madeleine Harris) wants to travel for her college application essay and Jonathan (Samuel Joslin) needs to get out of his room where he is online constantly. They are accompanied by Mrs. Bird (Julie Walters) and head to meet the head of the retirement home, The Reverend Mother (Olivia Colman), who supports the family heading into the Amazon to find Aunt Lucy. The Browns enlist riverboat captain Hunter Cabot (Antonio Banderas) and his daughter, Gina (Carla Tous), to take them on their quest.

By shifting the story from London to Peru, the film gets a boost of inspiration from Indiana Jones as the Brown family and Paddington must brave wild creatures, mysterious clues hidden in statues and secret messages, and more. The first two Paddington films had a look and style reminiscent of Wes Anderson, while Paddington in Peru looks significantly different. There are echoes of Hugh Grant’s brilliant character of Phoenix Buchanan in Hunter Cabot, with Antonio Banderas getting to don several costumes to play members of the Cabot clan throughout history. Banderas is up for the challenge of playing a silly, over-the-top villain role who believes that Paddington is the key to discovering a secret treasure hidden in the depths of the Peruvian jungle. Banderas, who recently co-starred in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, has fun with his own persona throughout and never shies away from the physical comedy in equal measure with the rest of the cast. Most of Paddington in Peru is focused on Banderas sharing the screen with the animated main character, and he still exudes maximum chemistry alongside his diminutive screen partner.

The trailers also hint at Oscar winner Olivia Colman having a blast as a nun, with the footage released only scratching the surface. Colman is absolutely hilarious as the Reverend Mother as she gets the chance to perform a musical number that pokes fun at The Sound of Music. Colman has proven herself time and again to be a brilliant dramatic actress. Paddington in Peru will give audiences unfamiliar with her comedic work a taste of how funny she can be. Everyone in the cast is quite good, including some minor supporting players from the first two films returning for cameos, including Jim Broadbent, and a surprise during the end credits that is as good as anything in the rest of the film. Ben Whishaw continues to give Paddington a voice commensurate with the naive bear he portray,s while the Brown family are all as endearing as ever. It is a shame that Sally Hawkins could not reprise her role as Mary Brown, but Emily Mortimer does a great job of imbuing the role with the loving and kind heart of a mother who wants to do right by her family.

Most of the kids who saw the original Paddington are a decade older now, and it is appropriate that Judy and Jonathan are on the verge of becoming adults in this sequel. The plot centers on the idea of growing up and choosing the path you want to follow, which rang very true for me as a parent of two teens about to graduate high school. Paul King, who helmed the first two Paddington films, was succeeded by Dougal Wilson, while Mark Burton, Jon Foster, and James Lamont stepped in for King and Simon Farnaby, who wrote the first and second movies, respectively. Making his feature directorial debut, Dougal Wilson embraces the challenge of balancing animation and live-action without allowing Paddington in Peru to ever fall into the silliness many films like Alvin and the Chipmunks and The Smurfs have suffered when trying to make CGI characters feel tangible in an other-wise organic film. The first two Paddington movies relied heavily on complex visual gags and physical humor. At the same time, Paddington in Peru is more focused on an adventure-style story that is more linear. This is not necessarily bad, but it makes Paddington in Peru feel less in line with the first films.

I had a lot of fun with the first Paddington, and I will recommend Paddington 2 as a perfect film experience to anyone, regardless of age. Paddington in Peru is a fitting continuation of the franchise and works as either a satisfying trilogy-capper or a transition to the next entry in the series. I was touched by how perfectly the film tackles complex themes of growing up and family heritage in an understandable way for young kids and the parents revisiting this series with their now-grown children. Paddington in Peru would have benefited from the whimsy that made the first two films so enduringly sweet. Still, it works just as well as a destination adventure to a part of the world not often seen in big studio productions. Paddington in Peru is a great movie for families to check out on the big screen and a worthy sequel to the first two films.

Paddington in Peru opens in theaters on February 14th.