Review of PADDINGTON IN PERU: Sweetly Sentimental Search

January 30, 2025

Paddington (Ben Whishaw) receives a letter from the Reverend Mother (Olivia Colman) in charge of the home for retired bears in Peru, informing him that his Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton) had been acting rather strangely lately. Worried, Paddington (with his new passport) wanted to go see her, so the whole Brown family decide to go along too. However, upon reaching Peru, the Reverend Mother told them that Aunt Lucy had gone missing.

Based on clues he found in Aunt Lucy's room, Paddington deduced that they should start their search in a place called Rumi Rock. They were able to hitch a ride on the river boat of treasure hunter Hunter Cabot (Antonio Banderas) and his daughter Gina (Carla Tous), who told them that Rumi Rock was the usual take-off point of expeditions in search for El Dorado, a city of gold -- expeditions from which no one had ever come back alive.  

Following the first film (2015) and the beloved sequel (2018), this is already the third film about the adventures (and misadventures) of our favorite marmalade-loving bear - Paddington. Like the first two, he is relentlessly adorable and cute. The Brown family (still played by Hugh Bonneville, Madeleine Harris and Samuel Joslyn, but with Emily Mortimer as mom Mary) plus Julie Walters as nanny Mrs. Bird, are positively supportive and delightful as ever.  

As for this latest romp in the raging rivers of Peru, some scenes will be scary for very young viewers as Paddington really faced life-threatening situations in this installation, though the filmmakers did use silly comedy and lively music to soften the blow. Like Nicole Kidman in the first film, and Hugh Grant in the second, the antagonists here are also big name stars. I will not spoil this revelation for you, but you will figure this one out easily. 

Compared to the first two films, I did not really like the crime thriller aspect of this new one. However, after this part was over and done with, came the best absolute best part of the film. This was when Paddington and his family finally turned the key and entered the gate of El Dorado of lore, and saw what legendary gold lay behind those walls. These heartwarming final scenes perfectly recaptured the sweet sentimental magic expected from this franchise. 7/10