Time: 106 Minutes
Age Rating: PG – Offensive Language
Cast:
Hugh Bonneville as Henry Brown
Emily Mortimer as Mary Brown
Madeleine Harris as Judy Brown
Samuel Joslin as Jonathan Brown
Julie Walters as Mrs. Bird
Jim Broadbent as Samuel Gruber
Olivia Colman as The Reverend Mother
Antonio Banderas as Hunter Cabot
Carla Tous as Gina Cabot
Ben Whishaw as the voice of Paddington Brown
Director: Dougal Wilson

I really liked the first two Paddington movies, but I admit that I was having some doubts going into its third movie. It has been a number of years last film was released, and the lates installment would lack both director Paul King and actress Sally Hawkins. Watching Paddington in Peru, it was still fun despite being clearly the weakest of the trilogy.

While I noted the lack of Paul King as director, I actually noticed the difference in the writing team more. The plot is generally predictable, the emotional beats don’t hit as hard, and the comedy isn’t as strong. It’s also on shaky ground at the start, before finding its way around the halfway point. Still, it is a Paddington movie; it is full of heart and has endearing moments as a family adventure, it’s funny, charming, and delightful. It’s still true to the spirit of the previous movies, even if it’s not as great as them.

Most of the main cast return and reprise their roles seamlessly, including Hugh Bonneville, Samuel Joslin, Madeleine Harris and Ben Whishaw. The obvious glaring exception is Sally Hawkins, and her character of Mary Brown is instead played by Emily Mortimer. All things considering, she was good in the role. That said, there is a scene involving her at the end that doesn’t quite work without Hawkins in the part, despite Mortimer playing it well. Antonio Banderas and Olivia Colman are the newer actors in this movie. Banderas is decent enough, but it’s Colman who’s the standout, hilarious in every scene she’s in and the movie needed a lot more of her.

As I said, this isn’t directed by Paul King. It is instead directed by Dougal Wilson, who is a first time director and he actually does well here for a debut movie. The camerawork is good and there are some solid set pieces, even if there are clear instances of bad green screen and CGI.

Paddington in Peru definitely isn’t on the same level of the first two Paddington movies, but is still charming and fun.