Paddington movie poster.
Usually when picking which movies I am going to watch, I end up falling towards superhero movies because they are fun, exciting, imaginative, and certainly larger than life. For the most part, I find that romantic comedies are repetitive, supernatural movies are filled with bad CGI, horror movies have horrible story telling, and family movies are boring. So when I heard about the movie adaptation based on the family classic I was a bit suspicious. I thought it would be an emotionless money grab, like the recently released “Christopher Robin”, but once I started hearing the amazing ratings and reviews that it was getting, I decided I would watch it to judge for myself, and much to my delight, it was even better than I expected.
Paddington is about a bear of the same name from “Deepest, Darkest Peru” who, after having his home destroyed by an earthquake, is sent to London by his elderly aunt in search of a new family. He does so by following the trail of an explorer who, long ago, told his family in the jungle that they would receive a very warm welcome if ever they were to visit London. Unfortunately soon upon arriving in London, with nothing but a hat and a suitcase full of Marmalade, the poor bear realizes that it is not as welcoming as the explorer made it seem. So, he embarks on a journey to find a family, and a home. This beautiful film is filled with adventure, emotion, and excitement, all of which hinge on the title character, Paddington, who’s adorable personality and charming charisma drives home the tone and message of the movie. The reason this film is special is that its main character doesn’t have to be dumbed down to appear endearing. Unlike the majority of other films in its genre, “Paddington” doesn’t need to milk its title character with slapstick comedy for laughs. It finds a way to be extremely cute without compromising the plot or any of its main characters.
Throughout the majority of the story Paddington bear is a fish out of water, but while it is clear that he is still getting used to his new environment, his primary appeal comes from the fact that he is kind, gentle, innocent and most of all polite, rather than the fact that he is a clumsy, talking bear. His personality really shines through, so much so that it would in fact not be very hard to wish Paddington was a real person. Although based on a children’s book, this is a family movie for all audiences, filled with laughter, tears, action, adventure, and even underneath the fundamental message of spreading love and kindness, there are subliminal messages for adults can pick up on. Regardless of age, anyone looking to enjoy a charming, heartwarming, visual story with their family. Paddington is a must watch.
