Why It Should Have Sucked: A contemporary update of the beloved children's character, which features a bunch of gross-out gags, hare-brained situations, and Nicole Kidman in the part of a hammy villain. Plus, Colin Firth was replaced by Ben Whishaw to voice the title role just a few months before the movie's release. This sounds like a total disaster. Why It Was Awesome: Despite the trailers so clearly presenting a rather crude take on Paddington, the final product is in fact a delightfully fun, clever movie which will win over all but the most cynical audiences with its silly humour, go-for-broke attitude, and gorgeous CGI animation. Even Nicole Kidman's villain works in the grand scheme of things, and most unexpectedly of all, it's not merely a cute family film for kids to lap up, but an unexpectedly emotionally resonant movie and one with a deeply relevant political undercurrent regarding contemporary Britain. Of all the movies released this year, Paddington is the one to defy low expectations more than any other. Bravo. Which 2014 releases have you found the most unexpectedly awesome? Shout it out in the comments!
Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes).
General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.
