jamieebholmes

The Spider-Man looking Venom dude has his moments that are really humorous, but in general the story was just lacklustre and boring.

I haven't previously seen other entries into the series, but if I had, I can almost guarantee that it wouldn't make this movie anymore interesting. There is no real direction of the story, it's clear it's supposed to be about a superhero on the run but in reality it was just about some guy complaining that he has a hangover.

When it comes to the usual post-credit scenes, having to sit through the credits after a rather boring 2 hour odd movie was torturous, then to be greeted with a really bad ending made me regret waiting.

After watching this short film immediately after the original, I realized it's essentially the same story as the first, but with a dog and a less memorable song. Don't get me wrong-it's a cute film, clearly aimed at young children who will enjoy the addition of a puppy with socks on its ears. However, it doesn't introduce a fresh narrative, which makes it less engaging if you've already seen the original.

That said, I really appreciated how the animation style pays homage to the original film. There are plenty of nods to the first movie that could have been more impactful if this didn't feel like a simple cut-and-paste effort.

This movie is far too long for the lack of substance to the story. It's cute and occasionally whacky, but it gives the vibe that they're just trying to milk the franchise rather than making a meaningful or memorable movie. This would have been cool as a 30 minute TV episode in a Paddington series, but it's definitely not movie worthy.

A good kids film typically has to have something to make it bearable for adults, especially for something so multigenerational as Paddington, and this really doesn't meet the mark. A mention of the duty free by a pensioner bear and the relatable frustration of a machine not taking your pound coin is enough to crack a small grin, but the rest of the film is just mild slapstick that appears to be deliberately scattered throughout the film when the boring has gone on a bit too long.

As films go, it'll be a great film to stick your kids in front of the TV to distract them whilst you're doing the housework, but it's not one for the family movie night.