By Though it won’t hit the U.S. until mid-January, the third feature in the beloved and highly acclaimed “Paddington” franchise is hitting UK cinemas this Friday.
As a result, reviews for the film went online this morning. Marking the first “Paddington” film without director Paul King, the new entry has drawn very good reviews.
That said, almost all quite clearly convey that the film isn’t up in the same league as its two predecessors, something conveyed in the Rotten Tomatoes score which sits at a still excellent 95% (6.8/10) but not quite the 97% (7.9/10) of the first and the 99% (8.7/10) for the second.
Here’s a sampling of reviews:
“‘Paddington in Peru’ is, as any Paddington adventure should be, fast and buoyant and disarmingly sunny in a way that viewers who weren’t alive — or at least of cinemagoing age — for the 2017 release of “Paddington 2” will lap up.” – Guy Lodge, Variety
“This Paddington threequel is a perfectly decent bet for the holidays, and never anything other than entertaining, but the gag density has thinned out and removing Paddington from Blighty… is a slightly shark-jumping move.” – Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
“Paddington in Peru offers a fun and lively hour-and-three-quarters in the cinema, and that’s not to be sniffed at, but it comes across as the solid third part of an established franchise rather than a stellar pop-cultural phenomenon in its own right.” – Nicholas Barber, BBC
“While [Paddington in Peru] sadly lacks the absurdist wit and decidedly dark edges that elevated the first two Paddington films, it’s serviceable enough given its limitations.” – Leslie Felperin, THR
“Let’s be fair: absolutely no one will have a bad time at Paddington in Peru, which is bouncy, unobjectionable and raises plenty of smiles. But most viewers are likely to come out more sated than elated.” – Tim Robey, The Daily Telegraph
“The Paddington series goes ‘Raiders of The Lost Bear’, swapping Primrose Hill for the savage jungles of Peru. It’s a decent threequel, though a little of the enchantment has been lost in transit.” – Nick De Semlyen, Empire Magazine
“There’s no denying that even Paul King’s table scraps taste better than most of what family audiences have been served over the last six years.” – David Ehrlich, IndieWire
“It’s clearly a disappointment compared to the two King-directed efforts, but is not without moments of comic inspiration, enjoyable supporting performances, and well-engineered adventure blockbuster set pieces.” – Alistair Ryder, The Film Stage
“This one, directed by Dougal Wilson, feels ponderous and slow. The slapstick scrapes Paddington gets into are effortful and all the scripted jokes are painstakingly explained, as if younger audience members are dim.” – Leila Latif, Total Film
Ben Whishaw is back as the voice of Paddington alongside Hugh Bonneville, Julie Walters, Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin and Carlo Tous. Emily Mortimer takes over the role of Mrs. Brown.
Jim Broadbent, Olivia Colman and Antonio Banderas also star whilst Imelda Staunton will voice Aunt Lucy. Dougal Wilson replaces Paul King as director. “Paddington in Peru” will first hit the UK on November 8th and then hit U.S. cinemas on January 17th 2025.
The post “Paddington in Peru” Reviews Are In appeared first on Dark Horizons.
