38/13
The director of the two previous films, Paul King, has decided not to direct this installment
Narrative
Paddington returns to Peru to visit his beloved Aunt Lucy, who now resides at the Home for Retired Bears. With the Brown family in tow, a thrilling adventure ensues when a mystery plunges them into an unexpected journey.. However, he pitched the idea for this third film and was involved as an executive producer..
The mother superior of the retirement home for bears (Olivia Colman) is concerned that "Aunt Lucy" is losing the plot a bit
Follows Paddington (2014). With "Paddington" now happily understood with the "Brown" family, and replete with his own British passport, all is going swimmingly until he gets a letter from distant Peru. Conscious that they are gradually drifting apart, mum "Mary" (Emily Mortimer) decides that what they all need is the excitement of a trip – so off they head to the jungle.
That’s where they encounter "Capt
Cabot" (Antonio Banderas) who runs a local river boat with his daughter "Gina" (Cala Tous) and who agrees to take them on their cruise. They arrive at their destination only to discover that the elderly bear has gone missing and they are soon amidst some mischievous machinations that might take them on a perilous journey to the famous El Dorado. Thing is, of course, with a legendary treasure to be found, "Paddington" isn’t quite sure whom he can trust as the trail leads him deeper and deeper into the wilderness!
It’s still a watchable and enjoyable enough family film, but I am not sure I will remember it for long
It’s a fun adventure this one but it is a bit slow, the humor isn’t so plentiful and the plot is a little derivative with not enough bear and too much of "Jungle Cruise" (2021) meets "Sound of Music" (1965) to it. I thought Banderas and Colman rather hammed it all up a bit and there also wasn’t quite the cosiness of the family-led escapades with much less opportunity for Dame Julie Walters to get actively involved. The narrative is all just a bit disjointed without the charm of the two earlier cinema outings for Michael Bond’s character.