Credible Credits
Year: 2018
Director: Paul King
Starring: Ben Whishaw, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Hugh Grant, Brendan Gleeson, Peter Capaldi, Jim Broadbent, and Julie Walters
Tagline: Magic. Mystery. Marmalade.
Synopsis: When Paddington is sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit, the Browns and his new friends must work to clear his name and find the real culprit.
Tagline: Magic. Mystery. Marmalade.
Synopsis: When Paddington is sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit, the Browns and his new friends must work to clear his name and find the real culprit.
Review
Paddington 2 recently became the best reviewed movie on Rotten Tomatoes. Not the best reviewed family movie or the best reviewed sequel. It's the best reviewed movie. Period. After 170 reviews, it remains at 100%. One of my favorite reviews asks if every year could please start with a Paddington movie. I whole-heartedly concur.
If you haven't already seen Paddington, you should see it. But you don't need to see it before seeing Paddington 2. It will make sense. Still, see both. It will make your life a bit better and your world a bit brighter.
As is typical of sequels, this one ups the ante and broadens the world. We get to meet more of Paddington's neighbors in Windsor Gardens (and see the influence for good that he is). We also have even more action than the previous go round. But it is all without sacrificing what made the first film so endearing. At its core, it's about Paddington, his goodness, his family (the Browns), and his desire to get the perfect present for his Aunt Lucy. But, mayhem still ensues.
Some of that mayhem lands poor Paddington in prison, where he meets even more colorful characters. This includes Knuckles McGinty (played by Brendan Gleeson in a just-as-mad and just-as-moody role as the last movie I saw him in). Watching Paddington's innocent optimism (and love of marmalade) soften the tough inmates is another joy.
Ben Whishaw remains the perfect voice for the CGI bear. And all the other actors return with the same whole-hearted commitment they brought to the first film. You can tell they loved making this movie. And yes, Hugh Grant steals the show as an over-the-top actor with a propensity for costumes.
As with its predecessor, Paddington 2 again makes excellent use of its visual medium. The best scene for that is when we jump into Paddington's imagination as he takes his Aunt Lucy on a tour of London via a pop-up book. It's beautiful.
The movie is also just as humorous as the last. There is plenty of physical humor. But there's also verbal humor, droll British humor, and grin-worthy asides. For instance, the Brown family has a To Do board in their kitchen. It's off to the side and no attention is drawn to it. The only thing on it is "Free Paddington."
Also back is the calypso band that shows up when Paddington needs some background mood music. They aren't quite as prominent this time, but are still fun. The only semi-critical comment I have about the movie is that it had a different composer and he didn't reuse the themes from the first film (which I loved).
I said it for the first film, and I'll say it again here: if this were a one word review, it would be "charming." At its heart, Paddington 2 is a story about family and believing in the best in others. It's about being "kind and polite," even when the world isn't right. Paddington didn't steal the pop-up book, but he will steal your heart. If you have children, take them to see Paddington 2. If you don't have children, take your inner child.
If you haven't already seen Paddington, you should see it. But you don't need to see it before seeing Paddington 2. It will make sense. Still, see both. It will make your life a bit better and your world a bit brighter.
As is typical of sequels, this one ups the ante and broadens the world. We get to meet more of Paddington's neighbors in Windsor Gardens (and see the influence for good that he is). We also have even more action than the previous go round. But it is all without sacrificing what made the first film so endearing. At its core, it's about Paddington, his goodness, his family (the Browns), and his desire to get the perfect present for his Aunt Lucy. But, mayhem still ensues.
Some of that mayhem lands poor Paddington in prison, where he meets even more colorful characters. This includes Knuckles McGinty (played by Brendan Gleeson in a just-as-mad and just-as-moody role as the last movie I saw him in). Watching Paddington's innocent optimism (and love of marmalade) soften the tough inmates is another joy.
Ben Whishaw remains the perfect voice for the CGI bear. And all the other actors return with the same whole-hearted commitment they brought to the first film. You can tell they loved making this movie. And yes, Hugh Grant steals the show as an over-the-top actor with a propensity for costumes.
As with its predecessor, Paddington 2 again makes excellent use of its visual medium. The best scene for that is when we jump into Paddington's imagination as he takes his Aunt Lucy on a tour of London via a pop-up book. It's beautiful.
The movie is also just as humorous as the last. There is plenty of physical humor. But there's also verbal humor, droll British humor, and grin-worthy asides. For instance, the Brown family has a To Do board in their kitchen. It's off to the side and no attention is drawn to it. The only thing on it is "Free Paddington."
Also back is the calypso band that shows up when Paddington needs some background mood music. They aren't quite as prominent this time, but are still fun. The only semi-critical comment I have about the movie is that it had a different composer and he didn't reuse the themes from the first film (which I loved).
I said it for the first film, and I'll say it again here: if this were a one word review, it would be "charming." At its heart, Paddington 2 is a story about family and believing in the best in others. It's about being "kind and polite," even when the world isn't right. Paddington didn't steal the pop-up book, but he will steal your heart. If you have children, take them to see Paddington 2. If you don't have children, take your inner child.
Quotable Quotes
- "Exit bear, pursued by an actor." -- Phoenix Buchanan
- "Aunt Lucy said, 'If we're kind and polite, the world will be right.'" -- Paddington
- "Is that an official title, Mr. Curry? Or did you just go out and buy yourself a yellow jacket?" -- Colonel Lancaster to Mr. Curry
- "It's a secret room!" "It's an attic." "It's a secret attic!" "There's one in every house on this block." -- Mary and Henry Brown
- "We were right!" "Sorry ... 'we'?" -- Henry and Mary Brown
- "I've raised the neighborhood watch level to Mass Hysteria!" -- Mr. Curry
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