Review for Paddington 2

Paddington 2 is the sequel to the 2014 hit and is just as enjoyable and a welcome return to the world of the marmalade-loving bear. Paddington has settled into his life living with the Browns and now wants to send a birthday present to his Aunt Lucy to let her experience London. In Mr Gruber's shop he finds a rare pop-up book and to pay for it he starts a number of jobs.

However, the book is stolen and Paddington is framed for the crime and put in jail. It is up to the Browns to clear Paddington's name. While in jail he encounters a number of criminals and makes friends with the terrifying Knuckles who he helps change the prison food from gruel to marmalade sandwiches as well as a variety of sweet desserts.

I have always loved Paddington, loved the books, the old TV show, the first film and so it is not surprising that I loved this film too. There is just so much about this film to enjoy that it is not surprising that it has been nominated again for BAFTA Best British Film and Best Adapted Screenplay.

What I loved most is just how British everything about the film is. The Browns are again so perfectly cast with Hugh Bonneville and Sally Hawkins playing so wonderfully, warm and straight to the naivety of Paddington. Once in jail, the collection of prisoner stereotypes are amazing with Brendan Gleeson as Knuckles a joy to behold. One of the other highlights of this film is the wonderful Hugh Grant in a BAFTA-nominated performance as Phoenix Buchanan who is so over the top that you can see Grant chewing the scenery and camping it up to make him such a wonderfully memorable villain.

Special Features includes a less than five minute feature on the making of the film. This is more to do with the creation of the CGI Paddington. This is a little dry for what should be a fascinating look at how the real world and CGI interacted with each other. Instead it was all described in a very matter-of-fact and slightly boring way.

The BAFTA Q&A with David Heyman (Producer), Paul King (Director and Writer), Simon Farnaby (Writer), Pablo Grillo (Director of Animation) and actor Hugh Grant was around thirty five minutes and is interesting for those who want more stories about this film. This was much more relaxed and everyone involved felt like they wanted to be there and discuss their part in the film.

Also included is the final dance number of Rain on the Roof by Hugh Grant's Phoenix Buchanan. Though this is included as a stinger at the end, it is nice to be able to view it in full screen.

Finally, there is a solo commentary from Director Paul King. As with most solo commentaries this would have been better with someone to talk to. That being said, the stories about the creation are great and if you want more information about how and why certain things happened it is great.

Paddington 2 is a perfect British film for all the family. For those who grew up on Michael Bond's classic stories this is a perfect addition to those stories. Everything about the film is enjoyable and I found this to be a film that I would recommend to everyone young and old. This is a bear of a tale that needs to be seen.