Paul King's 'Paddington' delivers everything that a nice family film needs: lighthearted humour, a good message for the young ones, something for the adults and, of course, a clear divide between good and evil.
It's not perfect, with a great deal of corny acting and quite a predictable storyline, but it makes for a lighthearted and cute film that the whole family can enjoy. Paddington, based on the Michael Bond's children book, 'Paddington Bear', tells the story of a bear (Paddington) who travels to London in search for a home. After the death of his uncle in an earthquake, Paddington boards a boat from his home in the Darkest Peru and heads for London. One important thing I should note is that, thanks to an explorer that travelled to Peru years before, Paddington can speak fluent English.
Once you get past the fact that no one seems phased by a suitcase-carrying, hat-wearing, english speaking bear in the middle of a train station in London, you start to invest in the bears character. When he is taken in by the Brown's (how original) for what is meant to be just one night, he causes absolute mayhem in their family home, with comical timing and acting making for quite a hilarious scene (again, once you're past the fact that NO ONE IS PHASED BY A TALKING BEAR)
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Despite Mr. Browns complete resistance to having such a pest stay in their house (though still treating Paddington as one would an annoying child), Mrs. Brown persists on trying to find the explorer that had promised Paddington's family a 'warm welcome' if ever they came to London. So they begin to follow the trail to find him, which, of course, leads to the bonding of Paddington and the family - even Mr. Brown.
However, the trouble arises when Kidman's character, an evil taxidermist, starts hunting down Paddington for her collection. This was the most clichèd part of the film, with Paddington being placed in danger and the inevitable love that the family shows to save him.
Nicole KidmanAs in any children's movie, the acting was very corny and clichèd. However, I was drawn to both Hawkins' and Walters' characters, who were quirky, funny and very well portrayed. Bonneville and Kidman were both prone to over-acting and their performances were often quite embarrassing.
I was impressed by the graphics, with Paddington obviously being a feature of post-production. Although he didn't look completely life-like, the bear was made to fit almost perfectly into each setting he appeared. The actors interacted well with him, and Whishaw's voice suited him perfectly.
Overall, the film ticked all the boxes of a nice, entertaining family movie. For me, growing up with masterpieces like 'The Lion King' and 'Finding Nemo', I'm a very harsh critic to children's films, but I was impressed with Paddington. If you're searching for a funny, lighthearted and well made film for the whole family over Christmas; look no further.★★★ 1/2
This review appeared first on This Is Films Film.
