MonsterPerfect
Good idea lost in the noise
Juana
what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.
Celia
A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
James
From the outset, this second Paddington outing from Paul King had to resemble its predecessor in offering something for those who read Michael Bond's books as they were coming out - or soon after, and that means from the late 1950s onwards; as well as for kids who might well believe the beloved character is confined to screens large and small. One immediately visible, mystical and quite fantastic way in which this is achieved is through sets and scenes that are surprisingly timeless. While Mr Brown (again played by Hugh Bonneville) works in an office in The Shard (completed 2012), Paddington's more regular haunts in Notting Hill (well, where else could it be really?) and the Portobello Road regularly give the impression of being "some years ago", and in this way play surprisingly faithful homage to Peggy Fortnum's illustrations in the books, which are somewhat impressionistic, but definitely "from back then". This is artistic stuff of a high order, and - as always in the past - London is magically capable of achieving this mix of eras, just as it mixes everything else you can think of; and the film makes no secret of its adoration for the great capital city. In line with that, the piece is avowedly pro-immigration, doing everything in its power to convince us that London-ness and Britishness are strong enough to encompass and welcome and gently tweak habits from every other conceivable country and culture without its own magic being diluted or lost in the process. It's a quite persuasive and beautiful case, even if the most powerful scene here (for adults at least) is a "pop-up book come to life" that wondrously and movingly takes us back to an earlier, still obviously cosmopolitan but slightly less multi-culti version of the city. The effect is quite spellbinding.Obviously, Paddington's capacity to get into scrapes that are nothing too serious, but nevertheless convey a hint of menace (often helped along by "Mr Curry" - as here played by Peter Capaldi) and chaos and momentary "lost-ness" are drawn out from the original books in a fine way here, and are mostly funny; though there is perhaps slightly less to laugh at here (in an unforced way) than in "Paddington 1".The barber's shop scene nevertheless stands out for its joyous inventiveness, as does Paddington busy cleaning windows...A more serious (potential) problem for adult viewers will be the tendency for certain actors here to move in the direction of cliche. This is doubtless a necessary step to keep younger viewers on board, but while some see the Hugh Grant villain role here as "the actor sending himself up"; for me this hardly works. Brendan Gleeson as a prisoner (dressed a la 1930s???) also seems like pastiche, as does Tom Conti as a senior judge. For me at least more joy is to be had with Jim Broadbent reprising his role as Mr Gruber - whose memories presumably (now magically-incongrously) extend back to Wartime Central Europe, and allow the actor to give a wonderful performance in which tragedy is somehow tangible beneath a warm and kindly surface - this is clever stuff indeed given how few lines the actor actually gets. Julie Walters as Mrs Bird says even less - and sadly represents a wasted opportunity, while Sally Hawkins is likewise underused (though sometimes fun) as Mrs Brown. Punching above his weight, in contrast, is Sanjeev Bhaskar in his classy and in fact meaningful role as Dr Jafri.No film for all the family is going to succeed without making some compromises, but there is not doubt at all that "Paddington 2" does what it takes to woo adults with both its contemporary style and ability to provoke nostalgia. However, this owes more to the animated star of the show, and to magnificent scene-setting, than it does to acting ... or in fact storytelling.But that's alright!
mihai_chindris
So happy to see our beloved bear "back on stage". He made a thunderous comeback, old good looking as always, ready to shake the audience and bring them some laughter. The adventures he has call for brand new friends, who are eager to help him achieve his goals and complete his tasks. I invite to join him on his majestic journey through the wildness of London. It'll be quite a ride.
Gareth Crook
In a word, delightful. Paddington 2 is one of those rare sequels that's just as good if not better than its predecessor. With an all-star cast, peppered with perfectly delivered cameos, I defy anyone with a heart not to fall in love with this film. Engaging story, genuine laugh out loud jokes, excellent CGI to the point that watching an animated bear seems completely plausible. Sure it's charactured Britishness is over the top fantasy, but never to the point of annoyance. Just utter wonderful idyllic loveliness. Marvellous, absolutely marvellous!
asasshadow
Damn i never review a movie before but i have to get it out these 2 movies were wonderful they show what love is i know that is fiction but i wonder if people would be like this in real life instead of been selfish, is my dream and I am an MF or an evil imbecile and I melted with this movie I gave 9/10 because I am an idiot THIS MOVIE AND THE OTHER BEFORE are a 10. learn to love and respect each other
