Paddington in Peru (2024) Review: A Charming But Conventional Threequel

The absence of Paul King, who directed the first two Paddington movies is sorely missed in Paddington in Peru, the long-awaited third movie after Paddington 2 in 2017. In other words, this third instalment doesn’t reach the creative heights previously displayed by King’s eccentric visuals and rebellious charm that made Paddington and Paddington 2 above-average efforts.

What we have here instead is Dougal Wilson, marking his debut feature who prefers to play it safe and should I say, too mannered for its own good. It’s not like he botches the opportunity altogether as Wilson does show some whimsical flair in his direction, particularly in the earlier part of the movie. This includes a scene that we have already seen in the teaser trailer — the duffel-coat-and-bucket-hat-wearing, marmalade-lovin’ Paddington’s (voiced by Ben Whishaw) mishap in a photo booth. He finally has his own British passport and his life staying with the Browns (Hugh Bonneville’s Henry, Emily Mortimer’s Mary, Madeleine Harris’ Judy and Samuel Joslin’s Jonathan) has been a pleasant experience.

But with Brown’s two children growing up, they become more distant and spend less time getting together as one happy family. This is especially true for Mary, who’s been missing the good old family bonding. She is seen spending time at home painting, which comes to magical life at one point. I also enjoy how Wilson frames the dollhouse-like setting as the camera pulls back to reveal each floor of the building with the characters in different rooms. Henry, in the meantime, is now facing a new boss played by the no-nonsense Hayley Atwell in a small role as Madison, demanding him to take risks working as an insurance analyst.

The episodic nature of the earlier parts of Paddington in Peru makes me feel as if Wilson is off to a promising start. But once the main point of the story that defines the title gets underway, I was expecting a rousing and fun-filled adventure after Paddington finds out his Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton) has been acting strange from a letter sent by the Home For Retired Bears in Peru.

He worries about her, leading him and the Browns to fly to Peru to visit her. Once there, the Reverend Mother (Olivia Colman) tells them the bad news that Aunt Lucy has disappeared somewhere deep in the jungle. What’s left is only her pair of glasses, a bracelet and a map of her cabin that leads to a mysterious place called Rumi Rock.

So, Paddington decides to go look for her with the Browns tagging along and soon, they hire a boat commandeered by Hunter Cabot (Antonio Banderas) and his daughter Gina (Carla Tous). The adventure-filled story as they journey along the river in search of Aunt Lucy has its moments but the combination of action and comic timing are executed in a rather conventional manner. The pace can be erratic at times and the jokes are a hit-and-miss affair.

Still, that doesn’t mean Paddington in Peru is an outright disaster. Just decent enough as a competently made family-friendly entertainment with a delightful cast led by Ben Whishaw’s likeable voice performance as Paddington. Both Hugh Bonneville and Emily Mortimer, where the latter replaced Sally Hawkins from the first two movies deliver strong support.

And as for the newcomers to the Paddington franchise, Antonio Banderas hams it up in his sneaky performance as Hunter Cabot, who is frequently haunted by the ghosts of his past while Olivia Colman is having a field day playing the nun with a hidden agenda. Paddington in Peru culminates in an action-packed third act that Wilson pays homage to Raiders of the Lost Ark and even Buster Keaton-starred Steamboat Bill, Jr.