80
Where family films so often falter, choking on their own contrived sentimentality and/or cool, Paddington is sweet and silly and, at times, edge-of-the-seat stuff.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
70
The New Yorker by Anthony Lane
The writer and director, Paul King, scatters the tale with handfuls of eccentric charm, first in the forest and then in the home of the Browns. At one point, borrowing freely from Wes Anderson, he frames it as a living doll’s house, with each member of the family hard at work or play in a different room.
100
Marmaladen with gloriously silly jokes, pitch-perfect performances and incidental detail, this is a warm, witty and wondrously inventive great big bear-hug of a movie.
80
Time Out London by Dave Calhoun
It’s charmingly simple. But it also offers a sharp modern spin on Michael Bond’s London-set stories without being cynical.
70
Affectionately honoring the everyday quirks of Bond’s stories, while subtly updating their middle-class London milieu, King’s film may divide loyal Paddingtophiles with its high-stakes caper plot, but their enraptured kids won’t care a whit.
80
Devoid of cash-in cynicism, and full of belly-shaking humour, Paddington proves to be not just a wonderful contemporary rendition of the bear, but a polite hat-tip to the man who created him, paying homage in the best way possible: by bringing a gentle, slightly reserved, smile to audience faces.
70
The Hollywood Reporter by Leslie Felperin
It’s a relief to report that the final film is actually quite charming, thoughtful and as cuddly as a plush toy, albeit one with a few modern gizmos thrown in.
91
The Playlist by Oliver Lyttelton
Paddington is totally delightful.
80
The Telegraph by Robbie Collin
Serious as Paddington is about meaning something, it’s even more serious about the business of having fun.
60
Full credit to the film-makers, who manage to map their digital bear against his human co-stars and marry Bond’s antique conceit to a high-concept story.
Watched this with my baby cousin and instantly fell back in love with my childhood companion! Perfect for a family movie night—it brings you back to a time where things were much simpler than they are now.
Sweet, engaging, and genuinely laugh-out-loud funny. A wonderful movie for curling up under a blanket with family.