Paddington is a real gem of a character, and in dark times of real-world meanness and polarization, I'm glad he's making a return to the silver screen. His wisdom always certainly emanated from the pages of Michael Bond's original books that I read growing up; from warm affirmations about the power of compassion, to strong-willed statements on the value of individuality, Paddington was always oh-so-adorable while proffering consistent doses of life lessons. And who doesn't have a misguided politician or rude boss in mind for whom one of Aunt Lucy's hard stares could really be a benefit? 

I was also particularly excited for Paddington in Peru because of the resounding success of the first two Paddington movies in this trilogy. Neither of them bewitched me as fully as they did for many audiences, but each had real strengths in storytelling and animation. In the first, Paddington felt quickly at home in the high-gloss version of London, and unhinged villains played by the bristly Nicole Kidman and simping Peter Capaldi were hilarious. In the second (which Letterboxd records as the much stronger of the two, but which I maintain as every bit an equally 4/5-star film as its predecessor), quality was maintained through a similarly robust supporting cast (Hugh Grant and Brendan Gleeson!) and a clever and winding story. 

Paddington in Peru is just as pleasant and friendly as its two predecessors, but falls short of the complexity of its storyline or strength of its messages. That's in part due to director Dougal Wilson's lack of experience; this is his feature-length debut after many commercials and music videos, and his vision is muddier than that of Paul King, director of Paddington and Paddington 2. (Although King's next outing, 2023's Wonka, was unbearable — pun intended). It's also the result of the new film's staging in Peru, whose soundstage-and-CGI visual quality, and uneven characters and worldbuilding, distract from the goodness of Paddington and his loving family members, bear and human alike. 

At its core, Paddington in Peru follows a similar fish-out-of-water story as Paddington (bear-out-of-Peru) and Paddington 2 (bear-stuck-in-jail). Having fully established his identity and family in London, Paddington (given a kindly, inquisitive voice by Ben Whishaw) is surprised to receive a letter from the Home for Retired Bears, the bear retirement community in Peru where his Aunt Lucy lives. She's not doing too well, the nuns in charge of the facility say, and could benefit from Paddington's presence. He gets the Brown family to take a vacation to Peru to check on her and see the sights. They're already having some domestic challenges, as mother Mary (Emily Mortimer, a weakly recast version of Sally Hawkins' role) has observed, and would benefit from a trip together. 

Arriving at the idyllic Home, they're greeted by the off-kilter Reverend Mother (a delightfully kooky Olivia Colman), who's supposedly sad to share that Aunt Lucy has vanished without a trace. Paddington rushes to search for her, and he and the Brown family hire a boat captained by a suspicious treasure hunter (a plucky Antonio Banderas) and his daughter (Carla Tous). The treasure hunter and his daughter get in a scuffle, the boat shipwrecks, and Paddington, the Browns, and the guides are all scattered in their search for Aunt Lucy. Of course, a secondary objective has already arisen in parallel: El Dorado, the mythical city of gold, which (as it so happens!) Paddington seems to have a good nose for. Here, the journey has only just begun, as all our characters set off for Aunt Lucy and El Dorado while trying to survive the jungle in "darkest Peru".

The escapade is a lot of fun, with plenty of goofy mishaps, secret trapdoors, mazes and riddles, and big action setpieces to keep the story moving. Many of the more physical gags, including escaping big boulders and being dunked in rushing streams, evoked infectious giggles from kids in the audience around us. And a few clever directing moments are nods for adults, such as when Antonio Banderas plays the many alternate personalities of his character, or when a historical heirloom artfully comes alive.

But ultimately, the story (written by previous director King, as well as returning Paddington 2 screenwriter Simon Farnaby and newcomer Mark Burton) grapples with Paddington's identity as its central challenge. Does being in "darkest Peru" remind him of his childhood? Does meeting other bears bring him closer to his natural heritage, or other him towards his human family? These tough questions are mostly resolved in somewhat satisfactory form, but still feel a little awkward and unanswered. It doesn't help that the nods to Paddington's "real" heritage ring hollow. When the Brown family walks through a Peruvian market, it evokes Disney's EPCOT version rather than the real streets of Cusco. When Paddington suggests the industrialization of a paradisical orange grove in order to more efficiently make marmalade, our thoughts drift to the colonization of Latin America by Europeans. Things could be worse — and Paddington's persona always feels genuine and well-meaning — but cheap underrepresentations of the titular country nag throughout. 

Paddington in Peru is head and shoulders above other, less empathetic fare for kids these days, but doesn't fill the shoes of its stronger and more clear-eyed predecessors.