Paddington 2
Mini Review
[06th of December, 2017]
[PG, 1hr 43min, Animation, Adventure, Comedy]
When I found out about the original film three years ago (it's been that long?), I was put off by the rather childish slapstick scene in one of the trailers and made me a bit skeptical when I went to watch it anyway but boy was I wrong! Sure that scene with the bathtub was still there but in the broader spectrum was actually caused by a fish out of water scenario or rather animal out of jungle, trying to fit in into the civilized human world. Having finally find his place in London at the end of the film, this followup sees him thriving in the Brown family but as always complication arises when a new villain comes into the picture that throws him into much more foreign territory but it's nothing that the power of positivity emanated from the good-natured bear could not overcome, especially with his adopted family members believing in him and support him in every step of the way.
What sticks in my mind every time Paddington comes to mind is how endearing the original was, balancing the right tone between being comical and having fun with the premise to downright emotional and heartfelt with genuine moments that a CG creation could have. After seeing the sequel myself, they certainly kept to the proven formula and then some! What make or break this franchise is how believable the main protagonist is and just like in the first film, how realistic and lifelike Paddington is (as far as a bipedal talking animal is concerned) contribute to him feeling relatable as an individual trying his darnest in an unfamiliar world and make me appreciate his relentless optimism in trying to find the good in people. Essentially the biggest appreciation I want to give is to the special effects team behind the detailed, lifelike creation of the creature and the wonderfully fitting voice performance by Ben Wishaw which in turns resulted in a very likable lead. All the other supporting (human) cast provide wonderful performance to add to the charm of the storyline although I want to higlight Hugh Grant especially as the main antagonist that showcase his charming personality and talents. All in all, it's a film about an individual (or in this case an animal) trying to carve his own path in the world to pay back those who have care for him, it's another family-friendly flick you can take your family to aside from Coco. Get ready to be charmed!
wiki - IMDb
P.S. I particularly loves the scenes in the prison, right when he meets Knuckles and actually changed the establishment for the better. Farfetched from being belivable but you already have a talking bear, so ...
No comments: