lizgirl78
Full disclosure: I did not expect much from this movie. I threw it on to have something light in the background, but Paddington won me over. Some great directing and CGI work have brought the quintessential British bear to life, and he is equal parts funny and heartwarming. Paddington's adventures in London are perfect viewing for the whole family.
albannivolle
Really nice movie to watch with kids ! Funny , emmotionnal with a good basic story
WubsTheFadger
Short and Simple Review by WubsTheFadgerFirst off, Paddington really surprised me. The story is light hearted, very funny, and has some great lessens for children. The characters are all great and funny in their own way and the dialogue between the characters is good. The ending is heartwarming and hilarious.The acting is very good. Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin, Nicole Kidman, and Tim Downie all perform well. Imelda Staunton and Michael Gambon do some great voice over work. Ben Whishaw delivers the best performance as Paddington. His voice is so sweet and calming which gives his character a light and kindhearted feeling. The pacing is good but slows down towards the middle. The runtime is very short. The CGI is a little dated though.Pros: Light hearted and funny story, great acting, amazing voice acting by Ben Whishaw, Paddington as a character, a short runtime, and a great endingCons: Some slow pacing in the middle of the film and some outdated CGI
Overall Rating: 8.0P.S. I can't wait to see Paddington 2 after watching this film. Ms. Bird is hilarious and I hope she is in the second film.
Adams5905
In no way is this 'true to the original'. In fact, I have had to walk away and start again, how apoplectic am I!.. I own a complete set of the original works (including that late addition in 2007), and cannot believe this travesty is being marketed as 'original'-it's simply awful... Paddington bear was reared in an unpretentious North London suburb in post-war London-in thoise days, going 'up West' to see the Christmas lights was a treat. Why should elevenses with Mr Gruber feature in a modern world-why should Paddington's gentle jousting with Mr Curry figure at all?.. Why was this whole scenario not set in 1950's post-austerity London?.. The whole thing is a mess, and best avoided... I shall now make myself a flask of cocoa, some marmalade sandwiches, retire to the log burner with a collection of Paddington's best, and laugh myself silly... I know Michael Bond was involved with this production, but he should have run away-much better, for younger viewers, is the BBC series with Michael Horden... They captured the whole ethos of the original stories... This is just a mess.