In an age of increasingly unbearable, blaring, uncouth reality that can make you want to hide beneath the blankets, can it be that a sequel with a CGI bear is the breath of joy and hope and kindness that may actually help you cope, while saving thousands in therapy bills? I submit to you, that yes, just maybe, Paddington 2 is here to save us all.
Films aimed at children tend to suffer from increasingly mass-produced installment malaise, but I swear - like Aliens and The Godfather: Part II, this latest adventure of the immigrant bear and his adopted family is a simply marvelous, wholly restorative and superior sequel on every conceivable level. Directed by Paul King (who also helmed the original Paddington), the story of a small bear in London manages to delight both children and adults in equal measure, while also spooning just the right dollop of timely commentary to make us look in the mirror and vow to do what we can to set things right.
Paddington wants nothing more than to find the perfect birthday present for his beloved Aunt Lucy, but (doesn't this always happen?!) it's far more expensive than he can afford. So he decides to get a job. Employment soon leads to mishaps, and mishaps soon lead to misunderstandings, and before you can say "Marmalade Sandwiches," Paddington finds himself sentenced to ten hard years of labor at the pleasure of Her Majesty's prison system.
Without giving anything away, prison doesn't change Paddington - he changes prison. The cast is all back from the original, including the superb Hugh Bonneville and the sublime Sally Hawkins (Oh, what a roll you are on!), but it's Brendan Gleeson who steals the picture as the terror of the prison where Paddington finds himself. You often see actors having a hard time seeming to connect with their "motion-capture" costars, but Gleeson seems so utterly transfixed in his scenes with the diminutive bear, you're in awe when they're together and absolutely in the moment. Okay, I suppose I have to admit that yes, Paddington is largely a digital creation, but I'm pretty sure even Andy Serkis would doff his hat to Ben Whishaw and the legions of effects artisans who conspire to make Paddington so utterly - and soulfully - convincing and compelling.
Hugh Grant also shines as an actor of the grandiose Gilderoy Lockhart stripe, who has the best role he's had in ages - several, in fact. The Hugh Grant persona once loomed so large it's a delight to see him exhibit such craft and diversity of accents along with superb comic timing. He seems to be having the time of his life here, and he's fantastic.
Paddington has always been a heartfelt symbol for the immigrant in all of us, but never more so than he is here. Called often - and accusingly - by his surname of "brown" by the self-appointed neighborhood watch (Peter Capaldi, back from the first film), his heart remains full, and he always manages to see the good in people, even when he's looked at suspiciously or being judged. If there's a theme running through Paddington 2, it's that of Community - of the need we all have for it, and the power it can give us when we choose to see past fear and come together to make it.
There's a truly sensational 3rd act bit of derring-do involving two steam locomotives that manages to give both Bond and Indiana Jones a run for their money. But more than anything else there are equal measures of hilarity and kindness throughout this marvelous film, that if you're dreading the prospect of what the grotesque and sometime cruel world may have in store for us, I urge you to go spend some time with Paddington and his friends, and you may come out feeling you can weather it after all, though you may find yourself in dire need of a marmalade sandwich. Without a doubt a must for anyone with children, Paddington 2 is utterly delightful, and very highly recommended.
Films aimed at children tend to suffer from increasingly mass-produced installment malaise, but I swear - like Aliens and The Godfather: Part II, this latest adventure of the immigrant bear and his adopted family is a simply marvelous, wholly restorative and superior sequel on every conceivable level. Directed by Paul King (who also helmed the original Paddington), the story of a small bear in London manages to delight both children and adults in equal measure, while also spooning just the right dollop of timely commentary to make us look in the mirror and vow to do what we can to set things right.
Paddington wants nothing more than to find the perfect birthday present for his beloved Aunt Lucy, but (doesn't this always happen?!) it's far more expensive than he can afford. So he decides to get a job. Employment soon leads to mishaps, and mishaps soon lead to misunderstandings, and before you can say "Marmalade Sandwiches," Paddington finds himself sentenced to ten hard years of labor at the pleasure of Her Majesty's prison system.
Without giving anything away, prison doesn't change Paddington - he changes prison. The cast is all back from the original, including the superb Hugh Bonneville and the sublime Sally Hawkins (Oh, what a roll you are on!), but it's Brendan Gleeson who steals the picture as the terror of the prison where Paddington finds himself. You often see actors having a hard time seeming to connect with their "motion-capture" costars, but Gleeson seems so utterly transfixed in his scenes with the diminutive bear, you're in awe when they're together and absolutely in the moment. Okay, I suppose I have to admit that yes, Paddington is largely a digital creation, but I'm pretty sure even Andy Serkis would doff his hat to Ben Whishaw and the legions of effects artisans who conspire to make Paddington so utterly - and soulfully - convincing and compelling.
Hugh Grant also shines as an actor of the grandiose Gilderoy Lockhart stripe, who has the best role he's had in ages - several, in fact. The Hugh Grant persona once loomed so large it's a delight to see him exhibit such craft and diversity of accents along with superb comic timing. He seems to be having the time of his life here, and he's fantastic.
Paddington has always been a heartfelt symbol for the immigrant in all of us, but never more so than he is here. Called often - and accusingly - by his surname of "brown" by the self-appointed neighborhood watch (Peter Capaldi, back from the first film), his heart remains full, and he always manages to see the good in people, even when he's looked at suspiciously or being judged. If there's a theme running through Paddington 2, it's that of Community - of the need we all have for it, and the power it can give us when we choose to see past fear and come together to make it.
There's a truly sensational 3rd act bit of derring-do involving two steam locomotives that manages to give both Bond and Indiana Jones a run for their money. But more than anything else there are equal measures of hilarity and kindness throughout this marvelous film, that if you're dreading the prospect of what the grotesque and sometime cruel world may have in store for us, I urge you to go spend some time with Paddington and his friends, and you may come out feeling you can weather it after all, though you may find yourself in dire need of a marmalade sandwich. Without a doubt a must for anyone with children, Paddington 2 is utterly delightful, and very highly recommended.
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