10 Movie Sequels That Were Way Better Than They Had Any Right To Be
4. Paddington 2
Paul King's first Paddington film was one of the biggest surprises of 2014. It was a genuinely delightful treat that was both unexpectedly funny and impressively well-made. In a market oversaturated with bad CGI talking animal movies, Paddington was a breath of fresh air.
Despite all of this, the announcement of a sequel was worrisome. On its own, the first film felt like a miracle. How could they possibly compete with that or do it again?
Well, not only did they do it. Paul King and co. somehow managed to top themselves.
Paddington 2 doubles down on everything so great about the first film. The trademark visual humor of silent film classics like Chaplin and Keaton is used in increasingly clever ways, the visual imagination and magical realism of the first film are cranked up to 11, and the narrative challenges and builds upon the themes of the first film in stunning fashion.
Juggling even more elements than last time, the film still manages to brilliantly use King's patented set-up and pay-off structure to simultaneously hilarious and touching results. Ben Whishaw continues to deliver an incredible performance as Paddington Brown himself, exploring even further depths in this film, and new additions to the cast such as Brendan Gleeson and Hugh Grant are absolute knockouts.