First Take: Paddington 2- a brilliant sequel

Spoiler free as usual. Because I know general managers are reading this one.

SYNOPSIS:

Paddington, now happily settled with the Brown family and a popular member of the local community, picks up a series of odd jobs to buy the perfect present for his Aunt Lucy’s 100th birthday, only for the gift to be stolen.

I absolutely adored the first Paddington film when it came out in 2014 (a time when I didn’t know as much about the industry as I do now), and it’s safe to say that audiences did too- now, we have the eagerly anticipated sequel. It’s become quite a talking point within the local cinema, some of the team I work with on these reviews are rather excited to hear my verdict on this film, and I am proud to report that this film certainly delivers on the hype.

Paul King returns to direct, and once again, he paces it perfectly for audiences both young and old to engage with, and with his script (co-written by Simon Farnaby), the humour that made the first film so brilliant is there throughout, passing the 6 laugh test very easily within the first 45 minutes. It’s shot incredibly by Erik Young, and Dario Marianelli adds the same sort of score that Nick Urata nailed on the last film, something which a lot of audiences seemed to respond really well to back in 2014.

Performance wise, this cast are on fire. From returning faces including Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, and Ben Whishaw as the voice of Paddington, to newcomers including Brendan Gleeson, Noah Taylor, and Hugh Grant (who plays a very unique role that warrants staying back during the credits), everyone in this film makes the 1 hour 40 minute runtime fly by- a scenario I was hoping would be the case.

THE VERDICT

Paddington 2 is the sequel we were all hoping for, with the same charm that made the first film so lovable, this film could easily make box office charts right up until Christmas. It’s the perfect alternative to the heavier 12a films that will hit cinemas between now and then.

RATING: 5/5