(3) Fortunately, Paddington in Peru manages to surf these choppy waters. Yet it never touches the humidifying brilliance of the second film. As the title suggests, Paddington returns to his homeland to see Aunt Lucy. She now lives in a home for retired bears run by nuns and located near the Amazon jungle.

(4) Paddington (voiced again by the perfect Ben Whishaw) learns from the Reverend Mother (Olivia Colman) that his beloved relative is sad. So he and the Browns take off to visit them. When they arrive, it is revealed that Aunt Lucy has been wandering into the jungle. Paddington decides to find her, along with Mr. Brown (Hugh Bonneville), his wife Mary (Emily Mortimer) and his children Judy (Madeleine Harris) and Jonathan (Samuel Joslin).

(5) Housekeeper Mrs. Bird (Julie Walters) stays with Colman’s optimistic nun as the Browns embark on their adventure. They brave river rapids and more when they rent a boat captained by Antonio Banderas’ shady captain and his teenage daughter Gina (Carla Tous). As we are in Peru, there is talk of lost treasures and the search for the magical land of El Dorado. Still, the film is smart enough to find a heartwarming twist on this age-old story.

(6) The film wonderfully integrates live-action sequences and computer-generated visuals, especially Paddington himself. Background details also appear. A bear is seen reading the “Furnancial Times”, while Paddington encourages a llama to move around with what he calls “llama-lade”.

(7) If we wanted to be critical, we could say that director Dougal Wilson didn’t create a villain as memorable as Nicole Kidman from the 2014 film. Paddington or Hugh Grant in the 2017 sequel. Banderas’ character, haunted by the ghosts of his ancestors, is not enough.

(8) The children’s roles are also non-existent and the action is clearly geared towards younger viewers. But given how often a triple fails, Paddington in Peru effortlessly rises above his peers.

Source: South China Morning Post, November 4

Questions

1. Where will Paddington continue his adventure? Paddington in Peru according to paragraph 3?

A. a town in England

B. a house for retired bears near the Amazon jungle

C. A treasure island

D. A marmalade factory

2. In paragraph 4, the main objective of Paddington and the Browns is to..

A. save Aunt Lucy.

B. find lost treasure.

C. explore the Amazon jungle.

D. none of the above

3. Who is the captain of the boat mentioned in paragraph 5?

4. According to the author of paragraph 7, what is wrong with the villain in Paddington in Peru?

5. In which section of the newspaper are you most likely to find this text?

A. local news

B. health and fitness

C. fashion and beauty

D. movie reviews

6. Cross out the word or phrase that needs to be removed to make the sentences grammatically correct.

(I) Paddington in Peru follows Paddington as he travels to Peru to visit his aunt Lucy.
(ii) Along the way he meets some interesting characters, instead including a shady captain played by Antonio Banderas.
(iii) The film is full of heartwarming moments, beautiful visuals, and clever humor.

(L to R) Hugh Bonneville, Emily Mortimer, Samuel Joslin, Madeleine Harris and Julie Walters star in ‘Paddington in Peru.’ Photo: Handout

Answers

1. B
2. A
3. Antonio Banderas
4. He’s not as memorable as the previous villains Paddington movies. (accept all similar answers)
5. D
6. (I) THE; (ii) instead of; (iii) a lot