“Paddington in Peru” Embraces Adventure

Paddington in Peru (Dougal Wilson, 2024) 3½ out of 5 stars

The bear is back, and just in time. In an era of seemingly never-ending horrors, both domestic and international, what we all need is a rollicking cinematic adventure where good triumphs over evil. And if the villains end up being comically incompetent, all the better. Folks, I give you Paddington in Peru! It may not come close to its predecessor, the mighty sophomore effort in this series, but it’s still solid, good-hearted entertainment.

“A few bear years go” begins our tale, with a flashback to how young Paddington (voiced once again as an adult by Ben Whishaw) lost his way in his native Peru and was rescued by “Aunt Lucy” (voiced by Imelda Staunton, back for more) after falling into dangerous rapids. It is no surprise that an orange was somehow involved. In that past, Aunt Lucy cares for the poor cub and becomes his primary caregiver (the “aunt” is honorific, as they are not related), telling him that wherever he may be in the future, all he needs to do is “roar and I will roar back.” Shades of premonition and cut to today.

In our present, Paddington—still living with the human family, the Browns, that adopted him in London—has just been sent his official British passport when he receives a letter from Peru, though not from Aunt Lucy. Instead, the sender is the Reverend Mother (Olivia Colman, Wicked Little Letters) who runs the “Home for Retired Bears.” She has taken it upon herself to let Paddington know that Aunt Lucy misses her young charge and that a visit from him would probably cheer her up.

This missive dovetails nicely with the thoughts and emotions recently preoccupying Mrs. Brown (now played by Emily Mortimer, Relic). With her children getting older—daughter Judy (Madeleine Harris, returning) off to college and son Jonathan (Samuel Joslin, also back) isolating in his room—she longs for the days of family togetherness. Would not a trip to Peru, accompanying Paddington, be just the thing? Given that his new boss at the insurance company is pushing employees to take risks, Mr. Brown (as always, Hugh Bonneville) agrees. Mrs. Bird (Julie Walters, once more), their housekeeper, of course comes along.

This being a Paddington story, we know that nothing will be easy. And sure enough, once in Peru, our protagonists discover that Aunt Lucy has gone missing. Is there foul play afoot? Is the overly cheerful Reverend Mother somehow involved? But she sang the title song, and in a manner that recalled Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music! Not suspicious at all, although Mrs. Bird has some thoughts …

And what about the boat captain, Hunter Cabot (Antonio Banderas, Babygirl), whom the Browns and Paddington hire to go upriver to look for Aunt Lucy? He seems a little too focused on finding the lost city of El Dorado, purported site of buried treasure, and speaks to the ghosts of his ancestors (all played by Banderas, as well). His own daughter, Gina (Carla Tous), worries about his mental health, so shouldn’t we?

The joy of much of the movie is that we both figure out many of the narrative twists ahead of time yet still enjoy them when they arrive. And there are plenty of surprises despite the telegraphing of certain plot points. Plus, everyone is having such a great time, and the CGI (of bears and more) looks terrific. Even better, the themes of family bonding—of the blood and found-family variety—run strong, throughout. Predictable in particular places? Sure. A delight in even more? You bet! I’ll take that slice of fun with some marmalade, please.

Christopher Llewellyn Reed

Christopher Llewellyn Reed is a film critic, filmmaker, and educator, as well as Film Festival Today's Editor. A member of both the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) and the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), and a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, Chris is, in addition, lead film critic at Hammer to Nail and the author of Film Editing: Theory and Practice.