The first Paddington, back in 2014, about a young Peruvian bear who finds himself lost in London’s Paddington Station in search of a home, defied expectations by not being at all dopey or offering up a load of contrived sentimentality. It was sweet and silly and thoughtful and a lot of fun (yes, for the whole family). 2017’s Paddington 2, also directed by Paul King, pulled off that rarest of cinematic feats by being a sequel even better than the original.

Paddington, now a member of the kind Brown family, takes on a number of odd jobs to buy his Aunt Lucy a 100th birthday present, which promptly gets stolen. But new director Dougal Wilson can’t seem to figure out how to duplicate King’s subtlety and absurdist wit. Granted, that’s a pretty high bar. Oh, the marmalade-loving bear’s third outing is still above-average family fare, but I found it a tad forced and bordering on bland.

In time-honored fashion for filmmakers out of ideas, it’s a road movie. Paddington gets a call from the guitar-strumming Mother Superior at Peru’s Home for Retired bears informing him that his aunt misses him terribly, and soon he and the Browns are off for an adventure in the South American jungle. Bottom line, acceptably twee, and worth seeing solely for the terrific cast, which includes Julie Waters, Jim Broadbent, Antonio Banderas, Olivia Colman, Hugh Bonneville, Imelda Staunton and Emily Mortimer, with Ben Whishaw doing the bear’s voice. (106 min)