Bridget Jones's Baby review: a warm and fuzzy laughathon

Bridget essentially feels like the same person, still bumbling her way through life. Zellweger looks different - wiser and older - with a lot less weight on her frame. Colin Firth still manages to get your heart to drop to the pit of your stomach with his scenes with Bridget - not many rom-coms successfully manage that feeling anymore these days. Firth's expressions are wonderful, the smallest change tell a story - like how devastated he looks with a single crestfallen glance when Bridget finally tells him that the baby may or may not be his.

The movie totally targets the nostalgia factor too: in one scene while Mark finds an old ugly Christmas sweater, we're steered through a series of flashback from the first movie. It's beyond endearing.

The second half drags on a bit with the 'who's the daddy angle' but it's still full of its share of laughs. Emma Thompson is the real saviour as no-nonsense gynaecologist who loves to tell it as it is.

The movie itself feels old-fashioned - a flashback to the '90s, but full of internet references from today. I laughed out loud throughout this movie, and I can't remember the last time I laughed so much. And it wasn't just me, the whole audience - a packed hall at that - was with me.

But the best part of the movie is that Bridget was in control throughout - not dependent on the two men in her life. She's a woman of substance, who's good at her job, who shuns technology in favour of real experiences and emotions. It shows growth and Zellweger once again manages to create a kindhearted, affable, humorous yet neurotic character, which is what gives this above-par rom-com a great deal of its charm.

The verdict

After 12 years, Bridget Jones is back, and she's as brilliant as ever. It's such a fun and worthy sequel - laugh out loud funny and emotionally engaging throughout its runtime.

RATING: 3.5 out of 5