And the biggest surprise for a Janurary movie goes to…. "Paddington!!!!" Seriously after I saw this movie had a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, I new I had to go see it. I grew up Paddington stories, and knew all the characters before I walked into the film, so all I prayed for was that they wouldn't screw it up. Boy they didn't! It was superb!
Paddington (voiced by Ben Winshaw) is a bear from deepest darkest Puru, and after unfortunate circumstances, he must leave his home and his Aunt Lucy, and got to London to find a new home.
Sitting quietly on his suitcase in Paddington Station, he meets the Brown Family. And through Mrs. Browns generosity, finds a temporary new home with them. Along the way, he meets a cast of characters, such as Mrs. Bird, the Brown's Irish housekeeper, and a mean taxidermist, played with a delicious kind of evilness by Nicole Kidman. This is the best over the top performance I have ever seen Kidman give. She so good she practically has theme music play every time she does something crazy or outrageous. "Dun Dun Dun!!!!!" I overall was surprised by how good the movie is. As a childrens movie it never treats the audience like they are silly or too stupid. In fact we are let in on the thought that Paddington, (as he is named by Mrs. Brown) has a real dilemma. and him being here is perfectly normal. I only had one complaint. Not every joke worked. And some of them were a little predictable, but I have a feeling its because the story is about a British Family, and of course, we aren't going to always find everything funny in the same way.
All the performances are great, especially Ben Winshaw, and Hugh Boneville. The CGI is quite decent, and it really took me back to being a little boy and reading the stories.
THE VERDICT
Paddington may be a bit predictable, but its a great film with a heartwarming message at the end. I give Paddington a A-.
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