Paddington 2 (2017)

Director: Paul King
Stars: Ben Whishaw, Hugh Grant, Hugh Bonneville
Runtime: 104 minutes

Performances: 7/10
Screenplay: 5/10
Special Effects: 6/10
Costumes/Makeup: 8/10
Editing: 8/10
Cinematography: 8/10
Score/Soundtrack: 8/10 

Verdict: “Paddington 2” set the record for being the best-reviewed movie of all times on Rotten Tomatoes. Currently, it still stands at a perfect approval rate of 100% (based on 191 reviews). The film sees Paddington finding the perfect birthday gift for his aunt Lucy in the form of a pop-up book containing some of London’s most famous monuments, only for it to be stolen by Phoenix Buchanan (played by an excellent Hugh Grant), setting the Brown family on an adventure to retrieve it, and clear the little bear’s name who is falsely accused of the theft. The set designs, dialogue, score, and cinematography made me feel at times that I was watching a toned down Wes Anderson film, which I have mixed feelings about. Anderson's style is one that is unique to him and that I absolutely adore, making him one of my favorite directors working today, and I did occasionally feel that King was trying to imitate it instead of trying to develop a style of his own. I said toned down because the screenplay and the jokes were obviously written for a younger audience, and I feel that they will satisfy that demographic. "Paddington 2" is a pretty cute family film that I'd certainly recommend to parents who are looking for something to watch with their children, but I never felt that it deserved the perfect grade it got on Rotten Tomatoes. 

Final Grade: 6/10