PADDINGTON 2
Director: Paul King
Cert: PG. 103 mins
Like its predecessor, Paddington 2 is a funny and charming film, with a warmth to its characters. Paddington (voiced by Ben Whishaw) is a remarkably kind-hearted bear and thus ultimately succeeds and inspires others.
Adopted by the Brown family, Paddington yearns to send his bear Aunt Lucy (voiced by Imelda Staunton) a London pop-up storybook for her 100th birthday. However, first he must get a job to save up enough money, and awkward mishaps ensue. Then a pretentious actor, Phoenix Buchanan (an entertainingly hammy Hugh Grant), sets his sights on the book, and will stop at nothing to get it.
Clearing his name
Paddington is framed for stealing the book, and gets sent to prison. At his lowest point, he’s tempted to think that the Browns have forgotten him. Of course, that’s far from the truth – they only miss the chance to visit him because they’re so busy trying to clear his name.
It’s a nice reminder that God is even more faithful, and will never leave us nor forsake us (c.f. Hebrews 13.5).
Paddington’s inner character is key to the film, living out his Aunt Lucy’s advice to ‘be kind and polite, and everything will turn out right’. Over time, he wins over the other inmates and there’s a montage where the culture of the prison is transformed (with colour, music, and marmalade), set to a song called ‘Love Your Neighbour’. It may be flippant, but still works as a great representation of how God can redeem and restore the world, foreshadowing the new heavens and the new earth (c.f. Revelation 21:4-6).
Paddington 2 is a worthy sequel, entertainingly showing the value of everyday kindness and people caring about each other. Paddington goes through trials, but the love of his adopted family and friends doesn’t let him down.
