I watched Paddington for the first time in preparation for the third movie. The first one? Absolutely charming. A bit childish, but the theme of finding a home hits hard. The second? More mature, much funnier, and way more engaging. The third? Expectedly disappointing :(
The magic of the first two films came from Paddington’s kind and naive nature clashing with the “cold” outside world. It was impossible not to be touched by it and it motivated everyone to be just a little bit kinder. In the third film, they removed the most important part: the world. Now we’re in Peru, there’s no one to really interact with, and all the charm seems to vanish. Sure, there’s an adventure, but it just doesn’t work — this is nowhere near Indiana Jones or Uncharted. No compelling villains, no exciting action, no intriguing mysteries — and for the most part, it’s just plain boring.
Yes, there are still a couple of classic Paddington-style sketches, some solid jokes, and Olivia Colman as a nun with a guitar! But it’s still not worth your time. After watching it, I found out Paul King was barely involved in the third movie, and suddenly, it all made sense — no wonder Sally Hawkins didn’t want to return.
Yeah, not great, but at least it made me finally watch the first two! (And probably rewatch them later!)