A sugary marmalade

Paddington2

English (U)

Director: Paul King

Cast: Ben Whishaw, Hugh Grant, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins.

Rating: ***

The most amicable and well-mannered bear, Paddington, is back with another adventure and this time he will make you go aww with his wish to get a gift for Aunt Lucy on her 100th birthday.

A pop-up book describing London's iconic structures - which doubles as a clue book for a treasure, which the bear has no idea about - is what he narrows down to.

In a twist of events, when the book is taken away by a mysterious person, he is accused of and later imprisoned for stealing it.

We know who did it and the end is predictable but what makes you glued to the seat (even during the scenes at closing credits) is the narrative, music and the character Paddington.

The screenplay is fantastic with little details that invoke laughter like the newspaper in the prison called 'The hard times'.

The toy-land-like sets and props - like Paddington's ladder and the steam engine train - are beautiful. The actors are flawless. The diversity Hugh Grant shows is amazing.

We would have loved to see all the clues being decoded, but only two are shown.

The transitions - from Paddington showing London to Aunt Lucy to the flashbacks - are smooth and creative.

Overall, it's a good watch for all ages.

Mohamed Ahmed Shariff