Cute bear goes full Indiana Jones

Even a bear needs a breather.

So, off jets Paddington to sunny South America in “Paddington in Peru,” the third film in the delightful British family series.

No. 3, I’ll admit, has shades of “Return of the Jedi.” It’s still great, of course, but “Paddington Strikes Back,” sorry, “Paddington 2,” was stupendous beyond belief seven years ago. This latest chapter, directed by Dougal Wilson, settles for being merely super.

Regardless, as far as children’s movies go, you could do a whole lot worse. You could be watching “If.”

The story waves a fond farewell to the UK for the first time after Paddington (voiced by Ben Whishaw, perfect as always) receives an ominous letter from the old country.

The Reverend Mother (Olivia Colman) at the Home for Retired Bears in Lima says his elderly Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton) has been in an unusually dark mood and misses him terribly. He needs to see her pronto.

Peru, it turns out, has got something for all of the Browns.

Mr. Brown’s (Hugh Bonneville) aggressive American boss says the Nervous Nellie must take more risks; teenage Jonathan (Samuel Joslin) spends all day in his room inventing gadgets and hiding from Vitamin D; Judy (Madeleine Harris) wants a meaty story for the school newspaper; and mom Mary (Emily Mortimer replacing Sally Hawkins) longs for quality time with the kids.

Ceviche and Machu Picchu, it is.

Once they arrive, the rather shifty nun gravely informs the travelers that Lucy has gone missing in the rainforest. So, Paddington and the Browns charter a boat up the Amazon River, captained by eccentric treasure seeker Hunter Cabot (Antonio Banderas), to find her.

Housekeeper Mrs. Bird (Julie Walters) stays behind at the Home to Miss Marple her way into the Reverend Mother’s sinister secrets.

Colman and Banderas are fantastic additions to the series’ storied alumni of famous actors who have gamely made fools of themselves for tykes’ amusement, such as Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant.

The brilliant star of “The Favourite” begins with a hysterical acoustic guitar song amidst the rolling hills like she’s a demonically possessed Julie Andrews. But this sister is no Maria von Trapp.

Playing the suspicious leader, Colman has both a warmth and an electric-fence danger about her. You want to hug the Reverend Mother… at your peril.

And Banderas, who gets to play several members of the Cabot clan a la Alec Guinness in “Kind Hearts and Coronets,” brings his “Puss in Boots” swashbuckling attitude to baddie on a boat.

As the group treks through the jungle, “Paddington” purposefully dons the red hat of a different genre — action-adventure. Surrounded by ancient ruins, the little bear and Cabot are even chased by a giant boulder in a nod to “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” The legend of El Dorado also comes into play.

A bright change of scenery and a dash of folklore are warranted for a series that’s spent most of its time in overcast London. However, the stark location switch inadvertently causes the movie to resemble many others, from “Jungle Cruise” to “Jumanji.” The holiday renders the tale less unique than usual.

Still, you’d be hard-pressed not to enjoy the jolly jaunt. Clumsy Paddington, as always, makes an adorable mess of things. Getting his passport photo taken properly and figuring out how to sit on a hammock is harder than rocket science. 

And the bear’s last emotional takeaway about family will have you crying more than your kids.