Movie Review – Paddington

Today I saw Paddington.  The movie has a star cast, including Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abby) Nicole Kidman (a lot of movies, including Dead Calm which was where I first got to know her), Sally Hawkins (also a lot of movies and TV), and Ben Whishaw (Q in Skyfall).  I was also thrilled to see The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) in the movie (sorry, I see all The Doctors as The Doctor playing a part).

I was worried a little bit about the CGI before seeing the film, but I have to say, I think the technology really is there.  I don’t know for certain, but I would not be surprised if the hair programming they developed for Brave was used for Paddington’s fur.  It had a very natural look and movement.  I think they knew it was done well, since there was at least one shot that emphasized his fur blowing in the breeze.

The story is a classic tale that has been around for generations (the books were first published in 1958).  I am not overly familiar with them.  I seem to remember having at least one book as a kid, but if I did, I don’t have it now.  This means I cannot say how well the movie holds to the books, but the story in the movie was done well.

I also loved seeing so much of London in the shots.  I’ve been itching to go back and I can say I spent some of the film going: “I’ve been there and if they’d move the camera, you could see…”

The only thing I really had trouble with was the easy acceptance of a talking bear running around the city without causing more wonder and excitement among the people.  However, it is a children’s story and I know enough about the story to know that is just part of it.

Overall, I would recommend it as a nice, mostly light-hearted tale (there are a couple of parts that might be sad for little kids, but they pass quickly).  I’ll give it 4 out of 5 stars.