LoginLoved the first 'Paddington', was not sure whether that would be the case but it turned out to be one of that year's biggest surprises and delights. Was enthused about hearing that there was a sequel with the same crew returning, always a plus when it comes to sequels, but there was the concern as to whether it would fall victim to "sequel-titis".
Very luckily, 'Paddington 2' does not fall victim to that. It is one of not many sequels to actually be equal in quality to its predecessor and come close to being even better. It maintains all of 'Paddington's' heart, fun and charm, maintaining everything that made that film so good, and even builds on that appeal. For such a hit-and-miss year and seeing my fair share of overblown big-budget blockbusters with little soul, films that waste great premises and films that attempted laugh-a-minute laughs and doing it in a way that came at the expense of heart, 'Paddington 2' was a much needed refreshment. Not saying at all that it has been a completely bad year, actually there have been very good to great films, just that 'Paddington 2' stood out in the best of ways in recent weeks.
Maybe it could have been ever so slightly longer and would have again liked to have seen more of Mr Curry and his acrimonious relationship with Paddington. Everything else is magic.
'Paddington 2' once again looks great. It's beautifully shot and vibrant in design with a little bit of grit and Paddington as to be expected couldn't have looked more perfect. The music score is suitably soothing, rousing and whimsical, while the direction keeps things moving at a bright and breezy pace. A pace that never slows down but doesn't ever feel too hasty either.
Scripting is also spot on. The comedic moments are incredibly funny, the best of it hilarious, with rapid-fire wit, endearing quirkiness, clever gags that don't feel like pale retreads of before and perfectly pitched misunderstandings and physical comedy. Underneath all the humour and the darker and more suspenseful mystery/action-oriented elements of the story is a big heart and strong emotional core, with some lovely inspiring messaging and values that are very much current and some touching parts. It's also incredibly intelligent, not many films this year have treated its audience with the amount of respect that 'Paddington 2' has, and has such an endearing innocence.
A large part of that is the character of Paddington himself. Can't fault his design or Ben Whishaw's beautiful voice acting, nor can one fault his truly adorable personality, absolutely love how he tries to still remain even in the grimmest of situations and he is easy to root for and love throughout. The story may on the slight side structurally but has a lot going on, without being cluttered, that makes it very much eventful and to me there weren't any tonal issues.
Every ounce of the heart, charm and fun seen in 'Paddington' is here and everybody gets a chance to shine, especially Mr Brown and Mrs Bird of Paddington's family. The new characters are great additions, with a superior villain and the character of the cook Knuckles being one of the film's nicest surprises. Only Mr Curry could have been done better.
Performances across the board are great. Hugh Bonneville balances comedy and drama with ease, Sally Hawkins is compassionate and Julie Walters is a hoot. Jim Broadbent is always a welcome presence and the younger actors are appealing. Brendan Gleeson excels in a departure role, a dramatic actor in a more comedic role in a family-friendly film could have gone wrong but Gleeson brings a curmudgeonly charm and great comic timing. Hugh Grant is also cast against type and brilliantly sends up himself and the world of acting. This is Paddington's film though.
Overall, an absolute delight and refreshing. 9/10 Bethany Cox
Paddington 2 Reviews
One of the year's biggest delights
Posted : 1 year, 11 months ago on 6 June 2022 12:36
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An average movie
Posted : 3 years, 11 months ago on 26 May 2020 10:48
To be honest, I didn’t really much care for ‘Paddington’ but since this sequel had been also a critical success, I thought I might as well give it a try. Well, I have to admit that I did enjoy it slightly more than its predecessor and it is always refreshing when a sequel doesn’t turn out to be a major step-down from its predecessor. Indeed, the story was fairly original and I have to admit that the main character finally started to grow on me. Sure, the CGI was once again fine but it obviously went way beyond that and, this time around, I started to think that Paddington was quite charming and fairly entertaining. Furthermore, Hugh Grant had obviously a blast and he delivered here his best performance in years. However, like its predecessor, even though it was probably one of the best movies I have seen in this genre lately, I’m afraid it still didn’t really blow me away though. I mean, even if it had been wildely well received by the critics (It is, apparently, the best-reviewed movie ever on Rotten Tomatoes so far), I think it was actually rather shallow. Of course, you could argue that this movie was actually meant to be more magical and whimsical than really deep and, indeed, I have to admit that there was absolutely nothing really wrong about the whole thing. Eventually, it was mostly a matter of taste and I guess it was just too sweet for me. Anyway, to conclude, even if it wasn't really my cup of tea, there is no doubt that the damned thing is worth a look, especially if you need to entertain some young kids.
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Paddington 2 review
Posted : 6 years ago on 20 April 2018 06:27
Unfortunately I never had the chance to see this movie in the cinema
But Now I see it i gonna review it
in if the movie is much better than the first one of its best points was that the brown family did not lose prominence in this
something that can be expected from other movies although its rhythm was similar to that of the first movie
The Humor Did not Miss Its Touch Of The First
The Film Is Trying To Handle The Plot And Had A Decent Direction From Paul King
And for some reason If paddigton 2 is at the moment the best movie of 2018 and highly recommended
Lamentablemente nunca tuve oportunidad de ver esta pelicula en el cine ahora que la vi me toca analizarla
en si la pelicula es mucho mejor que la primera uno de sus mejores puntos fue de que la familia brown no perdio protagonismo en esta cosa que se puede esperar de otras peliculas aunque su ritmo fue parecido al de la primera pelicula
Con Unas actuaciones Buenas Sobretodo de Hugh Grant
El Humor No Perdio Su toque De La Primera
El Filme Se Esfuerza En Manejar La Trama Y Tuvo Una Direccion Decente De Paul King
Y Por Alguna Razon Si paddigton 2 es por el momento la mejor pelicula del 2018 y muy recomendable
But Now I see it i gonna review it
in if the movie is much better than the first one of its best points was that the brown family did not lose prominence in this
something that can be expected from other movies although its rhythm was similar to that of the first movie
The Humor Did not Miss Its Touch Of The First
The Film Is Trying To Handle The Plot And Had A Decent Direction From Paul King
And for some reason If paddigton 2 is at the moment the best movie of 2018 and highly recommended
Lamentablemente nunca tuve oportunidad de ver esta pelicula en el cine ahora que la vi me toca analizarla
en si la pelicula es mucho mejor que la primera uno de sus mejores puntos fue de que la familia brown no perdio protagonismo en esta cosa que se puede esperar de otras peliculas aunque su ritmo fue parecido al de la primera pelicula
Con Unas actuaciones Buenas Sobretodo de Hugh Grant
El Humor No Perdio Su toque De La Primera
El Filme Se Esfuerza En Manejar La Trama Y Tuvo Una Direccion Decente De Paul King
Y Por Alguna Razon Si paddigton 2 es por el momento la mejor pelicula del 2018 y muy recomendable
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Paddington 2 review
Posted : 6 years ago on 16 April 2018 09:27
One of the most fantastic and interesting films I have ever seen) So positive, fill of life this bear shows us - you can be good person and all you do turns you back)
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