Peter Rabbit 2 (U)

Old Mr McGregor's great-nephew Thomas and his neighbour Bea are happily married, sharing their home with critters including Peter Rabbit, sisters Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail, and cousin Benjamin. After his thrilling visit to the city, Peter tires of the predictability of life in the countryside and he decides to seek new adventures in the urban jungle. Unfortunately, he falls into shady company and the rest of the clan rushes to rescue the mischievous bunny.

LondonNet Film Review
Peter Rabbit 2 (U)

When the first Peter Rabbit bounded onto the big screen in 2018, I suggested the thumping sound in Will Gluck’s film might be Beatrix Potter spinning in her grave (casually ignoring the writer’s final journey through Carleton crematorium). Actress Rose Byrne, who reprises her role as Bea in the sequel, explicitly mentions that subterranean whirring in one of the self-referential moments which litter a freewheeling script penned by returning director Gluck and Patrick Burleigh. Characters lament the insidious impact of Hollywood on literary adaptations, Peter (voiced by James Corden) meta-jokes about the unlikeness of this second film and when Bea is pressed on plans following the publication of The Tale Of Peter Rabbit, she shows dazzling foresight to outline a 23-book series featuring 109 creature inhabitants of Hill Top Farm…

Like its predecessor, Peter Rabbit 2 employs slick digital effects to realise the eponymous scamp and his anthropomorphic chums, melding furry and feathered creations with human cast and live-action elements in bucolic harmony. During two comic interludes involving a runaway jeep and a hillside “frolic”, the visual trickery oversteps the mark, replacing actor Domhnall Gleeson with an unconvincing computer-generated doppelganger to create the illusion of the leading man performing the bruising stunts. In both sequences, shot from a distance to casually conceal the not-so-special effects, his long-suffering farmer abruptly assumes the flailing disposition and weight of a straw-filled rag doll.

Thomas McGregor (Gleeson) and neighbour Bea (Byrne) enjoy a storybook wedding with Peter (Corden) as their ring-bearer. The newlyweds illustrate and print a book about the boisterous bunny and are thrilled when publishing heavyweight Nigel Basil-Jones (David Oyelowo) invites them to Gloucester to discuss the possibility of an initial print run of 5,000 copies. Bea asks Nigel to promise that he will protect the integrity of her literary world. “I give you my word. I will be your ferocious guardian,” he beams. It transpires that Nigel intends to warp Bea’s vision to boost sales by casting Peter as the bad seed of the stories.

The bunny is crestfallen and abandons level-headed cousin Benjamin (Colin Moody) and sisters Flopsy (Margot Robbie), Mopsy (Elizabeth Debicki) and Cottontail (Aimee Horn) for a contemplative stroll around the city. He encounters thieving rabbit Barnabas (Lennie James) and criminal associates Whiskers (Rupert Degas), Tom Kitten (Damon Herriman) and Mittens (Hayley Atwell). They encourage Peter to unlock his villainous potential with a daredevil heist of dried fruit from a farmers’ market.

Peter Rabbit 2 is more cohesive and emotionally satisfying than the original – by a cat’s whisker. Corden repeatedly pokes fun at the sound of his voice as his mischievous mammal learns heavy-handed lessons about the sanctity of the family unit. Byrne and Gleeson are predominantly bystanders until a cartoonish climax pressgangs them into service as high-speed getaway drivers.

– Jo Planter