"Paddington 2" does not disappoint; It has everything audiences loved about its predecessor and even adds an extra layer of even more heart. This film is one of the strongest of the year with simple yet thoughtful storytelling, hilarious moments and a great message as its core. 2014's "Paddington" didn't call for a sequel but 3 years later a follow up has been assembled that is just as charming and enjoyable as the first...and most importantly, it does not feel unnecessary. King continues to elevate the material by using inventive techniques to tell the story and everybody in the cast bring great performances to the table. "Paddington 2", and its forebear, are modern classics that will be continuously watched for years to come during cosy nights in beside the fireplace.

The editing and general visuals of "Paddington 2" are creative, memorable and effectively executed. King chooses to tell the story in an exciting way, not always choosing the pedestrian option. One of the strongest moments visually in "Paddington" is when the house [literally] opens up and shows each character in their room resembling a dolls house. King utilises this technique once again with the prison; As the inmates are planning their escape, a model of the prison opens up and shows each of them in their cells. It was great to see King recycle this stylistic technique he used in the first film and because he used a different location, it didn't feel derivative but instead felt like it was paying homage to the first film. The inventiveness of this film's story-telling doesn't stop there; The main hook for this film is that the present Paddington wanted to get his auntie, a pop-up book about London, is stolen. The film does an excellent job of estlabishing the sentimental value of the book; Told through the visual style of a pop up book, the audience get to imagine (alongside Paddington) what it would be like for his auntie to get to experience London. Not only was this visually creative but it added the right amount of development to enable to audience to route for Paddington's retrieval of the book. Another visual quirk is a 2D stop-animation piece. King knows how to tell a story in unique ways and exhibits that talent with "Paddington 2"; This film deserves regard for taking a simple plot and making it feel engaging and original due to some great visual and stylistic techniques. As a character, Paddington is well realised; He may be a computer generated character but he lives seamlessly in a live action world; All of the interactions with humans look real. Live action-animation hybrids are hard to get right (just ask "The Smurfs", "Alvin & the Chipmunks" or "Hop") but the team behind "Paddington 2" excel, this is one of the best films of its kind. 

The story may be simple but it never feels uninspired or unoriginal. The best way to describe this film is a story often found in a classic children's book brought to life; It has the sentiment, heart, charm and excitement. The great thing about keeping the narrative straightforward is that there are no plot holes and every character and their motivations can be developed. "Paddington 2" follows the classic narrative structure of having a villain whose goal is parallel to that of the protagonist; Both Paddington and Phoenix Buchanan (Hugh Grant) want to get their hands on the same book. However, Paddington wants to buy it as a gift but Phoenix wants to steal it for its monetary value. I thought it was a clever touch for Phoenix to be a declining-actor who enjoyed dressing up as different characters as it made each of his scenes very fun; One of his characters is a nun and how he gets the desired information was very funny. This was one of my favourite and most hilarious scenes in the film. After chasing after Phoenix, Paddington gets mistakenly caught and put in prison for stealing the book. For some, Paddington's time in prison will be a big pause and slow down the pace. However, I thought that the writers did a good job of keeping the prison scenes entertaining whilst the scenes outside of prison, involving the Brown family were exciting and fast-paced. The 'slower' scenes set in prison are actually quite important as they develop and demonstrate some of Paddington's best qualities; Of course he is an outsider, such a polite and courteous being does not belong in such a place. However, Paddington manages to see the best within these prisoners and actually elicit the best out of them. "Paddington 2"'s plot isn't just a rehash of the first film, which would have been an easy route to go down, but actually tells a brand new story while keeping the same values at its core. It's a funny, cute, charming and heart-warming film that exudes Britishness. 

"Paddington 2" is a story about justice, acceptance and family. It also provides some poignant social commentary about immigration. With the political climate of the UK evolving a lot around Brexit and immigration issues, a film like "Paddington 2" is what this country needs; It's never too explicit about its message but I think it will give audiences, young and old, something to think about. After the events of the first film, the sequel takes place in a world where an immigrant from Peru is accepted among everybody else, regardless that he happens to be a bear. However, there are still some close-minded people around who associate the bear with danger and negativity. Paddington is also judged unfairly in the court of law, even though there is evidence against another suspect, the judge orders Paddington to a prison sentence- with some possible prejudice influencing his decision. Paddington also desires for his Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton) to be able to visit him but that is unfortunately not possible. The sequence told through a pop-up book has Aunt Lucy visiting the UK via a boat, the book is the closest Lucy will ever get to London. Despite this, the community comes together at the end (because of Paddington's good deed) and brings Aunt Lucy to London themselves. The moment where Paddington is reunited with Lucy is so moving and so touching. It's really amazing that the film was able to get the audience to care for both characters even though one gets very little screen time. This commentary may have audiences thinking a little differently on immigrants wanting to bring their family to their country as familial love is part of humanity. Even though Paddington tells this using bears, it still rings true for humans in real life. What is also great about the film is that this political commentary doesn't interfere with the story, "Paddington 2" can still be enjoyed just as much without even noticing this message.

The returning cast all do a brilliant job reprising their roles; Once again, Ben Whishaw brings Paddington to life. It's such a juxtaposition to have such a formal, mature voice come out of Paddington, the cute bear's mouth but it somehow works. Whishaw plays a big part in the character's likability. The live action family members all do a good job as well- they have their equal share of funny and touching moments. Sally Hawkins, Hugh Bonneville and Julie Walters give it their all, it certainly does not feel like they only came back for the sequel because of the paycheque. I was really fond of Hugh Grant's portrayal of the villain, Phoenix. I liked Nicole Kidman's villain in the first film, it was going to be hard to top her performance. However, Grant matches it with an equally out-there and wacky character. The character has a clear motivation and some fun quirks (all those costumes!) to make him memorable. This is one of Grant's strongest performances in years...maybe he should stay in the family genre? Brendan Gleeson also adds a lot of fun in the prison scenes. "Paddington 2" once again assembles a loveable cast who take their roles seriously and deliver superb performances.

"Paddington 2" is a very strong film. However, I have just one critique; Despite it being one of the best films of 2017, the film feels like it is missing something. After first viewing, I came out quite enthusiastic but my passion for the film has deteriorated as the days have gone by (maybe it's because I had to sit through "Justice League" twice since then). Even though the story feels new and is always exciting,  as a whole, the film doesn't do much differently to the first film- similar humour, another great villain, more of the same commentary, a lot of heart, similar visual style, great performances etc....there just needs to be something a little bit more. Then again, the first "Paddington" was so strong, I can't think of a way to elevate the property.

"Paddington 2" will not disappoint fans of the first film and I think it may even win over those who were slightly more cynical the first time around. The film tells its story at an excellent pace but for younger viewers, the prison section may slow things down a little too much. "Paddington 2" continues to make poignant commentary on political issues, but in a subtle manner so the film is still enjoyable on a surface level. The cast are brilliant- especially Ben Whishaw and Hugh Grant. If King returns for "Paddington 3", I hope he brings even more visual quirks and inventive ways to tell the story. "Paddington 2" is a film full of heart and charm and is yet another modern family classic.