Paddington (2014)
Today I went with my housemates, and my good friend Spencer, to see the new Paddington movie.
This is the first movie I've seen in the theaters in a while and the first I've seen since moving to Australia. Assigned seating in a movie theater is a bit odd, but still not such a bad idea. The last time I went to the movies, I shared some popcorn with my housemate, but this time, they were planning on going to dinner afterward and didn't want to spoil their appetites. It was just as well for me. Sometimes I find nibbles during movies distracting, and I did not want to be distracted during Paddington.
I was first introduced to Paddington through the shorts broadcast in between Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood on PBS when I was much younger. Then my housemate found a copy of Paddington at Work at the Symphony Book Fair and we read that. We never had all the Paddington books, only the one, but I still feel I know Paddington pretty well -- if only because I am a bear.
I really didn't know what to expect from the movie. I'm always a bit nervous about movie adaptations of books I know, but this one looked pretty good from the previews. And even if it was horrible, I would have had a nice adventure.
It was not horrible. It was a very good movie -- fun, entertaining and exciting, all the things you want from a movie. I will say this, the movie is not the book I know, but that may be because it was based on stories from other Paddington books. I found the characters of the Browns not to be perfectly in character with either the portrayals in the books or the tv shorts. I did enjoy them nonetheless. Paddington was perfectly portrayed, if not an exact adaptation from the books. I'm not a big fan of Nicole Kidman, but she was well cast as the villain.
On the whole the movie was very enjoyable. It was fun and funny. There were a few scary parts, especially for bears. But have no fear, by the end of the movie, all was well for the Browns and Paddington.
I had a wonderful time seeing this movie and highly recommend it to anyone, particularly for bears.
And if you do go see it, watch for the cameo appearance of Paddington Bear creator and author Michael Bond.
One Bear's Opinion: Five Marmalade Sandwiches (and one to keep for emergencies)
Happy Viewing Everyone,
Oliver
