Film Preview: Paddington 2 (2018)

Page Revisions:

(August 27, 2017) Original
(December 3, 2017) New Trailer (#2) / New Posters (#2-#26)
(December 17, 2017) Added Image Gallery
(December 31, 2017) New Trailer (#3) / New Posters (#27-#29)

Release Date:

January 12, 2018

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “Paddington, now happily settled with the Brown family and a popular member of the local community, picks up a series of odd jobs to buy the perfect present for his Aunt Lucy’s 100th birthday, only for the gift to be stolen.”

Poster Rating: C- / C- / C (9) / B- / C+ (4) / C / C+ / C- / C / C- / C+ / C / C / C / C+ / B+ / C / C

SEE ALL POSTERS BELOW
Review: (#1) A honey sandwich with no crust, in the shape of a number two being held by the eponymous Paddington Bear. It’s a gimmicky teaser poster that just isn’t that exciting.

(#2) A dull backdrop and an unimpressive central image. (#3-#11) These character posters use the same tepid blue background as the previous design with the terrible honey paw print motif to put the characters into positions that stand out, but don’t excite. (#12) A nice look at one of the settings for the film, with a key element of the plot. It’s not particularly exciting, but it’s the most detailed of the designs so far. (#13-#16) This new set of character posters, though they are just for a single character, have nice background details and Hugh Grant in various guises is interesting; however, the overall style isn’t that creative.

(#17) The sandwich and the outfit might be enough for those familiar with the character, but a strong poster design they don’t make. (#18) Pulling elements from other poster designs may create something more detailed, but it doesn’t create something more creative. (#19) The fair and the night sky as backdrop for Paddington aren’t exactly enticing elements. (#20) This looks like it’s part of a character poster series the way designs 13 through 16 are, and that’s a positive direction leading one to hope more will be forthcoming. (#21) A cheesy tagline and design that hearkens back to the dull blue-background designs that never quite worked.

(#22) This takes the fair motif and adds the menacing, many-disguised villain of the piece to add some sky-filling detail. It feels clumsy. (#23) This design pulls on the best of all of the designs and poorly forces in the rest of the family. (#24 & #25) A combination of forced-inclusion and fair-based design flaws for a poster that remains unexciting. (#26) A scene from the film that doesn’t quite have the necessary impact when isolated.

(#27) A warm, marmalade-filled holiday poster design that will melt the heart, even if it doesn’t entirely bolster the film’s attendance. (#28) Back to the dull blue backdrop with the Christmas tree filled with oranges. Not a particularly exciting design. (#29) Another foreign design featuring the ferris wheel backdrop. It wasn’t very interesting before. It’s certainly not interesting now.

Trailer Rating: C+ / B- / B

SEE ALL TRAILERS BELOW
Review: (#1) The first film received rave reviews, but was lost in the shuffle. This film has minor elements that remind one of the first film, but there’s little that’s genuinely humorous here, which might hinder its chances. The full trailer might improve that.

(#2) Finally getting to see something of the film’s premise, this second trailer sets the stakes well for our favorite bear’s adventure, though it never feels as exciting or funny as the original film’s trailers.

(#3) The more one sees of these trailers, the more endearing the film becomes. While the original was a surprise hit, especially after being dumped by its production studio, this sequel seems to be getting a stronger push that might make it an even bigger success with the same warm family values to bolster its chances.