“You Were Never Really Here” – Dark. “Fruitvale Station” – Harrowing. By Wednesday, my week was rather downbeat. I’d watched two rather morbid films. Both were great, however, I decided to change my pace and give Paddington 2 a second viewing. Previously, I alluded to how much I enjoyed this film, and this time, I enjoyed it just as much.
The sequel picks up with Paddington living in a peaceful state with the Browns (I haven’t seen the first film). Each one has slightly changed as they grow up and need a little bit of fixing. Nothing major, a bit of heartbreak, trying to be cool and ambition unrecognised feel natural and don’t darken the storyline. Paddington (Ben Wishaw), however, has a big issue of trying to find Aunt Lucy a perfect birthday give. He finds a pop-up book in an antiques shop and tries to earn the money for this valuable item. However, at the circus, he tells Pheonix Buchanan (Hugh Grant) about this book, and ‘coincidentally’, Paddington see’s someone try and steal the book from the shop. He chases them down and when they disappear in a puff of smoke, he gets falsely arrested and jailed. Will Paddington, the Browns and his new criminal friends be able to track down the real thief? You’ll just have to wait and see.
The whole film is truly wonderful. It’s laugh out loud funny, using Paddington’s animation style to throw in many visual gags as well as an amusing script with some fantastic comedians. Every member of the cast is on top form in what feels like a Harry Potter reunion. Ben Wishaw is charming as the marmalade loving bear. Sally Hawkins and Hugh Bonneville are charming as Mr and Mrs Brown. You get cameos from Michael Gambon (Dumbledore), Imelda Staunton (Umbridge), Peter Capaldi, Richard Ayoade, Julie Walters, Ben Miller and Sanjeev Baskhar to name a few.
However, the biggest standouts are Hugh Grant as the hilariously camp and evil Buchanan and Brendan Gleeson as hardy criminal Knuckles. Grant’s character has a vanity about him and is such a great parody that you don’t hate this washed up actor, but you smile when he’s caught. Gleeson brings out a lot of Mad-Eye Moody in his performance with a real gruffness, which he quickly offsets with a softer side.
He helps carry the prison scenes which see the pink and purple wearing cast members fall in love with marmalade sandwiches and go from hardy foes to Paddington’s best friends. The whole situation feels rather like the Grand Budapest Hotel in this act with everything like a symmetrically drawn stage play. It’s charming to look at. You know Paddington isn’t really under threat and the transition these characters make is brilliant.
The innocence of everything makes a huge impact. The film works with Paddington’s Aunt Lucy’s catchphrase constantly said and a community spirit which is brought out by the bear. His naive nature while also being a hero is hilarous and makes him someone you want to get behind. The innocence of the film is only further pushed when each character can deal with their issues during the main story in order to wrap the film up nicely.
Aunt Lucy
The animation is really sweet. The fur feels real and has a lot of the best gags around it. There is a really creative scene where Paddington takes Lucy around a paper version of London. The bear breaks the laws of physics constantly and the animation is very much utilised. The whole film is very colourful in its shot almost creating this fantasy land.
It’s also worth mentioning that after the ninety minutes, one of the films best scenes happens during the credits. I won’t spoil it, but make sure to watch to be left with a huge smile.
Summary
A really special film, Paddington 2 makes you smile from the beginning to the end. Even if it’s not aimed at adults, it’s a film which can be universally loved .A must watch. [Grade: A]
The Film Ramble 