Paddington Review

I'm ashamed to say that i knew nothing about Paddington Bear before seeing this film. I had of course seen his iconic image but was never told the story or watched the show as a child. This may be as a result of him being most famous when my parents were young - in the 70s. I didn't know what to expect, but i knew there was going to be a lot of adult jokes because he has so many older fans. Surprisingly, i found that there were few jokes that i struggled to understand or that children wouldn't get. The humour was extremely slapstick and ridiculous, and i couldn't contain my laughter. Paddington made a new mistake in every scene so there was never a dull moment. He skateboarded, slid down the stairs in the bath and flew through the sky.

Strangely, i found this film was very similar to Lilo and Stitch. In both films, there is a lost animal that doesn't quite fit in but finds a new family. The ending of both films (spoiler alert) are practically the same and use the same soppy lines about family being family no matter what. The writers of Paddington manage to relate it to today by include an arrogant neighbour that doesn't like feral immigrants - is this a Ukip stab? The recurring Calypso band and the marmalade machine are my favourite elements of the film. If you like Miranda or Nanny McPhee; childish, outrageous but relatable humour, then you and your family will enjoy this. Not sure about you, but i'm going to be leaving some marmalade sandwiches on my doorstep in the hope that i might attract a Peruvian bear.

3 and a half out of 5