PADDINGTON IN PERU: A Perfect Trilogy
by Harrison J. Bahe
When Paddington discovers his beloved aunt has gone missing from the Home for Retired Bears, he and the Brown family head to the jungles of Peru to find her. Determined to solve the mystery, they soon stumble across a legendary treasure as they make their way through the rainforests of the Amazon.
People have their opinions on what the greatest trilogy of all time is. Some would argue that it’s the original Star Wars Trilogy. Many more would argue that it’s the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Some might even suggest that it’s Christopher Nolan’s Batman Trilogy or even Edgar Wright’s Blood and Cornetto Trilogy. Hell, even Robert Zemeckis’s Back to the Future Trilogy! They’re not wrong in saying all those trilogies are excellent but I’m here to put my own two cents in by saying that the Paddington films are one of the most delightful, unexpected, underappreciated damned near perfect trilogies ever made and that’s a hill I’ll gladly die on. There is a hilarious moment in the film The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent in which Nicolas Cage asks Pedro Pascal what his favorite movie of all time is. He ponders on this massively important question and answers without a doubt with Paddington 2. Cage guffaws at this and questions why on Earth a grown man like Pascal could ever love a kid’s movie like Paddington 2. There is a hard cut to them finishing Paddington 2 with Cage tearfully appreciating and understanding Pascal’s love for the film. I am Nicolas Cage in this scenario. In short, the Paddington Trilogy had no right being this good with the first Paddington film maintaining a 96%, Paddington 2 maintaining a 99%, and Paddington in Peru maintaining a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s the trilogy that keeps on giving!
Paddington in Peru is the perfect conclusion to the trilogy. The lovable talking bear from Peru is back and is as clumsy and adorable as he was in the previous two films. A lot of what makes the first two films delightful is present here in the final film. Especially with the dashing Antonio Banderas who plays multiple roles in the film, most especially an Amelia Earhart like character. Joining the pantheon of classy British actors who had roles in the previous films is Olivia Colman as a villainous nun who is after the long-lost city of El Dorado. Using Paddington’s unending love for his Aunt Lucy, she manipulates the poor bear to do her bidding but while the villains of Paddington are indeed evil, there’s just something so alluring about them that draws you in. Especially Hugh Grant’s villainous turn in the second film. People say his first bad guy role was in Heretic. No! It was in Paddington 2!
Paddington in Peru is a fitting end to a perfect trilogy. What makes these films perfect is the innocence of our titular bear, even in the face of adversity. The best thing about these films is that they’re meant for both children and adults as all the films play to both in such beautiful ways. With fun, standout performances by both Antonio Banderas and Olivia Colman, this film has whimsical action, emotion, comedic slapstick, and even had a heartwarming message about family, which is why I give Paddington in Peru:
4.5 Oranges out of 5
Paddington in Peru has been RATED PG by the MPAA for action, mild rude humor and some thematic elements.