SPOILERS DOWN THE PATH; THE DISCUSSION BELOW WILL NOT BE COMPREHENSIVE WITHOUT IT.
TREAD CAREFULLY. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.
THIS MOTION PICTURE IS OFFICIALLY AN AFFILIATE OF THE FILMMAKING PARAGONS.
Paddington 2 continues the journey of Paddington Brown in London city. He's now officially a member of the Brown family. He is beloved by the people in his neighbourhood and things are looking great! In fact, his aunt is about to turn hundred and he is on a quest to find the perfect gift for her, which happens to be an ultra-rare Pop-Up book. It's very expensive, he can't afford it, therefore he seeks employment to pay for it. Little does he know, the Pop-Up book is also wanted by a declining actor named Phoenix Buchanan (Hugh Grant) because it leads to a treasure nobody knows about! What happens when their goals collide forms the crux of this amazing sequel!
While the first instalment was a goofy and light-hearted family entertainment, Paddington 2 ratchets it all up a notch by installing in a more adult layer. It's less cheesy and superficial compared to the first, plus the story is way more interesting given its elevated essence of mystery! The script doesn't baulk to drive the plot to its maximum limits, and as a result, we receive surprising and unexpected turns! One such example is Paddington being accused of thievery and sent to prison. While it's truly sad to see that happen, we are constantly left with the question of how will the story resolve and what's gonna happen next!
One of the key highlights of Paddington 2 is the heart it has. The goodwill, kind nature stemmed from Paddington's aunt's advice envelopes the feature with a sort of warmth that melts your heart! Paddington convincing Knuckles (Brendan Gleeson) to change the menu and serve marmalade sandwich instead, which directly leads to the jail turning into a luxurious living place with loads of different dishes cooked for meals is one of the best sequences you'll see for testament! As you learn how the little cub was saved by his aunt in the beginning and witness the heartwarming finale as Paddington's undying want to gift something for his Aunt Lucy (voiced by Imelda Staunton) who did so much for him, it's very hard to roll the tears back in!
Similar to 2014's Paddington, the visual aesthetics are bold! Pop-Up book narration used to simulate Aunt Lucy's London city tour is drop-dead gorgeous! Narration wise, each of the Brown family member has a certain requirement in life to be fulfilled here too, which dovetails seamlessly into the primary proceeding that you wouldn't even notice! Haircut-machine, window-cleaning and prison laundry mishaps are hilarious as it is simultaneously admirable that Paddington wants to do honest work! Phoenix's multiple getups to find clues around landmarks, Paddington's ride-along with Wolfie, Brown family missing a visit session that breaks Paddington spirit, the prison escape that follows plus the extremely nerve-racking train and underwater climax are the best scenes available here!