---
title: "Paddington: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/paddington/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/paddington"
critics_score: 79
critics_reviews: 26
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Paddington (2014): what the critics said

Critics' score 79 from 26 reviews: 23 positive, 2 mixed, 1 negative.

Most critics welcome Paddington as a warm, witty family film whose appeal extends beyond childhood affection for the bear. Praise centres on Paul King’s visual invention and carefully timed physical comedy, with the storybook London setting giving the mishaps a distinctive charm. Ben Whishaw’s gentle voice performance and the bear’s expressive digital animation draw repeated approval, while several reviews find real feeling in the story of an outsider finding a home.

The reservations mostly concern familiar plotting, occasional crude humour and action that feels less assured than the quieter comedy. The New Yorker finds the villainy and immigration message heavy-handed at times, though other critics welcome the film’s treatment of belonging. The spread is wide, but strongly positive reviews dominate rather than suggesting an evenly divided response. IndieWire supplies the sharpest dissent, finding the story formulaic and the bear’s animation awkward, particularly around the mouth.

## Little White Lies — Adam Woodward

Rating 2/5/4. 27 November 2014. 

The critic calls the film a Christmas triumph and an unadulterated delight. They praise its inventive visual gags, humor, and heartfelt, progressive take on welcoming outsiders.

[Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/paddington)

## Empire — Chris Hewitt

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 4 March 2014. 

The critic finds it a warm, witty, inventive delight worthy of launching a franchise. They single out Paul King’s visual wit and the film’s pitch-perfect performances for praise.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/paddington-review/)

## Variety — Guy Lodge

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 19 November 2014. 

Lodge finds the film a bright, affectionate and thoroughly endearing family adventure. He especially praises its dry humor and the visual effects that give Paddington expressive, fluid movement.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/film-review-paddington-1201360138/)

## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 19 January 2015. 

Ebiri finds the film an irresistibly delightful comedy for children and adults. He especially praises Paul King’s precisely timed slapstick and the film’s playful, storybook vision of London.

[Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2015/01/movie-review-paddington.html)

## Los Angeles Times — Betsy Sharkey

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 15 January 2015. 

Sharkey finds the film charming, inventive and a successful realization of the beloved bear. She especially praises its visual effects and director Paul King’s imaginative, surrealist style.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-paddington-review-20150116-column.html)

## Evening Standard — David Sexton

Fi1m's normalised score 82/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2015. 

Sexton finds the film enchanting and irresistible, despite a few minor excesses. He especially praises Paddington’s expressive CGI presence and Ben Whishaw’s touching voice performance.

[Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/paddington-film-review-so-much-to-enjoy-for-the-fouryearold-inside-us-all-9889347.html)

## The Guardian — Mark Kermode

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 30 November 2014. 

Kermode finds the film a terrifically good-hearted and entertaining family treat. He particularly praises Ben Whishaw’s voice performance, which he describes as childlike, wise and oddly noble.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/nov/30/paddington-review-bear-hug-family-treat)

## Time Out — Dave Calhoun

Rating 4/5. 20 November 2014. 

The review gives the film a positive verdict, reassuring readers fond of the books or bear that this first movie adaptation is worth welcoming. Its standfirst singles out the adaptation’s appeal to people with childhood memories of Paddington.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/paddington)

## Total Film — Emma Morgan

Rating 4/5. 26 November 2014. 

Morgan finds the film sweet, silly, and consistently engaging. She praises its slapstick, humor, and visual world, while noting that the children are thinly written.

[Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/paddington-review/)

## RogerEbert.com — Christy Lemire

Rating 3/4. 15 January 2015. 

Lemire finds the film charming and warmly entertaining. She praises its old-fashioned family-film sensibility and Paddington’s appeal.

[Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/paddington-2015)

## Slant Magazine — Kenji Fujishima

Rating 3/4. 12 January 2015. 

Fujishima finds the film a sincere, lively blend of childlike playfulness and mature wisdom. He especially praises Paul King’s visual invention, while noting an occasional lapse into lowbrow humor.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/paddington/)

## The Hollywood Reporter — Leslie Felperin

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 19 November 2014. 

Felperin finds the film charming, thoughtful and warmly faithful to the books. She especially praises the performances, singling out Sally Hawkins’s poignant turn and Ben Whishaw’s gentle voice.

[Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/paddington-film-review-750322/)

## The Independent — Laurence Phelan

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 27 November 2014. 

Phelan finds this a heartwarming, witty family comedy that thoughtfully updates Paddington for modern Britain. He singles out its touching portrayal of an outsider finding a home, reinforced by the film’s immigrant-experience theme.

[Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/paddington-film-review-michael-bond-s-polite-hero-is-brought-into-the-modern-day-9888027.html)

## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 11 January 2015. 

Lane finds the film charming and largely successful, though its villainy and immigration messaging sometimes feel heavy-handed. He praises Paul King’s eccentric touches, especially the film’s playful dollhouse framing of the Brown family home.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/01/19/losing-way)

## Screen Daily — Mark Adams, chief film critic

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 19 November 2014. 

The page appears to be a review, but the critic’s verdict is unavailable in the accessible text. No specific praise or complaint can be verified because the article body is behind a registration prompt.

[Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/paddington/5080171.article)

## IndieWire — Charles Solomon

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 14 January 2015. 

The critic finds the film formulaic and ultimately disappointing. He singles out the awkward-looking bear animation, especially its unconvincing mouth movements.

[Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-paddington-123677/)

## Deadline — Pete Hammond

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 10 January 2015. 

Hammond predicts the film could be the year’s best and endure as a classic. He highlights its whimsical charm and Nicole Kidman’s delightfully villainous performance.

[Read the review](https://deadline.com/2015/01/paddington-review-ben-whishaw-nicole-kidman-hugh-bonneville-1201345758/)

## Eye for Film — Anne-Katrin Titze

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2015. 

The critic finds the film irresistible, funny, and warmly constructed. She praises its carefully crafted physical comedy and the big-hearted performances that make Paddington’s chaos endearing.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/paddington-2014-film-review-by-anne-katrin-titze)

## /Film — Germain Lussier

Rating 9/10. 16 January 2015. 

Lussier calls the film a heartfelt, entertaining success whose simplicity makes it stand out from more complicated movies. He especially praises its moments of cinematic magic and its grounded performances, while noting that a few action sequences feel out of place.

[Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/535765/paddington-movie-review/)

## Digital Spy — Emma Dibdin

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 27 November 2014. 

The critic finds the film a delightful, warm-hearted family adventure that balances old-fashioned charm with freshness. She praises its wry comedy and lively visual effects, especially the animated bear.

[Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a612604/paddington-review-a-delightfully-british-gem/)

## Collider — Matt Goldberg

Rating B+. 14 January 2015. 

Goldberg finds the film delightful and weird, despite a familiar story and occasional overreliance on gross-out humor and slapstick. He praises Paul King’s playful visual imagination and dry British humor.

[Read the review](https://collider.com/paddington-review/)

## Consequence — Blake Goble

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 13 January 2015. 

Goble finds Paddington a witty, sincere and unusually confident family film. He especially praises Ben Whishaw’s charming voice performance and the bear’s digital realization.

[Read the review](https://consequence.net/2015/01/film-review-paddington/)

## The Wrap

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 14 January 2015. 

The critic finds the adaptation sweetly funny and emotionally engaging, with enough charm to leave viewers wanting more. They praise its clever humor and threatening villain while maintaining a childlike whimsy.

[Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/paddington-review-ben-whishaw-nicole-kidman-hugh-bonneville/)

## Den of Geek — Simon Brew

Rating 4 out of 5 Stars. 13 January 2015. 

Brew finds the film charming, heartfelt, and highly entertaining despite a less engaging stretch near the end. He praises Paul King’s attention to detail and the way the film balances character, humor, and fidelity to the books.

[Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/paddington-review/)

## NME

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 

The review finds Paddington a likeable, charming family film with an unexpectedly touching message. It praises the bear’s hapless charm and the film’s visual gags and pratfalls.

[Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews-various-artists-15826-321055)

## The Playlist

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 13 January 2015. 

The review text is unavailable, so its verdict and specific praise or criticism cannot be verified. The page returned an anti-crawler check rather than the article.

[Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/review-paddington-starring-ben-whishaw-nicole-kidman-hugh-bonneville-sally-hawkins-20150113/)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/paddington.md