Wonka (2023) Review!!

Synopsis – The story will focus specifically on a young Willy Wonka and how he met the Oompa-Loompas on one of his earliest adventures.

My Take – Few characters of literature have continued to fascinate and intrigue us as much as beloved author Roald Dahl’s creation Willy Wonka, a character from his popular novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964), though it have been 58 years.

Hence, it comes as no surprise that a film about the origin of the world’s most famous chocolatier, long before he started giving tours as the founder of his factory to five luck children from around the work and their guardians, as seen in Mel Stuart‘s Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) and Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), has been produced.

Though on paper, this one is clearly a cash grab of an idea but in the hands of director Paul King (Paddington, Paddington 2) and co-writer Simon Farnaby (The Phantom of the Open), it becomes a crowd-pleasing sugar rush that is thoroughly entertaining and emotionally investing.

Sure, it dances away some the dark themes of Dahl’s book, is mostly formulaic and predictable but it has a sweetness of its own that delivers a happy time for anyone who wants to see a few good deeds shine in a weary world. It’s calming and heart-melting cute, transporting you to a world of wonder and joy.

It also helps that it contains a killer performance from Timothée Chalamet. Whose turn is far from Gene Wilder’s turn as the eccentric candy-man and Johnny Depp’s polarizing effort, and is instead infused with oodles of exuberance, cartloads of hope, and a persistent sense of wide-eyed wonder.

Running for 116 minutes, the film is a celebration of dreamers and whether you grew up watching the films or reading the books, or if you’re bringing a child to introduce to the world of Roald Dahl, this one is a worthy addition to the extending cinematic universe of the mercurial genius responsible for Everlasting Gobstoppers and Fizzy Lifting Drinks.

The story follows Willy Wonka (Timothée Chalamet), a young aspiring magician, inventor and chocolatier, who arrives in a pre-war Europe, with just a hat full of dreams and a little briefcase for making his creations, hoping to open a chocolate shop alongside other candy makers in the Galeries Gourmet, to appease the wishes of his late mother (Sally Hawkins).

However, as the illiterate Willy had been so preoccupied with chocolate all these years, he neglected to learn to read, a result of which he finds himself tricked into becoming a forced labor in a hotel laundry, run by the leering Mrs Scrubbit (Olivia Colman) and her henchman Bleacher (Tom Davis). But there he meets a band of allies, all in hock to the treacherous Scrubbit, and forms a firm friendship with resourceful orphan Noodle (Calah Lane).

A group which will help him take on the monopolizing local chocolate cartel consisting of Slugworth (Paterson Joseph), Prodnose (Matt Lucas) and Fickelgruber (Mathew Baynton), who have banded together to squash Willy with the aid of a chocolate-addicted police chief (Keegan-Michael Key), sensing the potential power of his enchanting chocolate.

Beside all this, there is also a small orange man who calls himself Lofty (Hugh Grant), an Oompa-Loompa, who keeps turning up and stealing Willy’s stash of chocolate-making ingredients.

After making two of the best family films in ages with Paddington (2014) and Paddington 2 (2017), director King is indeed a natural fit for such kind of a whimsical world and manages to keep joy at the forefront. Anyone hoping for something as bold as a psychedelic boat ride will have to settle for this eminently pleasant approach that has been propped up by its indefatigable good cheer and director King‘s immaculately tidy craftsmanship.

The costumes (Lindy Hemming), cinematography (Chung-hoon Chung) and, in particular, the ingenious production design (Nathan Crowley) craft a wonder-filled backdrop.

Sure, the plot does drag a bit around the third act, which may lead some younger viewers to drift off, yet the clever humor and subtle nuances, makes it a strong contender for one of the most entertaining films of the year. Paul King‘s direction also brings the expected whimsy with a nice level of energy to the musical numbers.

And on the strength of a single viewing, the music, original songs by Neil Hannon and the score by Joby Talbot, holds up reasonably well. Where the film excels is in the wildly inventive musical set pieces. A particular sequence in the zoo, featuring a giraffe called Abigail and flamingos who’ve just learnt to fly, stands out.

Performances wise, Timothée Chalamet strikes a respectful, earnest tone in bringing to life a character who has already been played to perfection. He lacks the darker edge with this interpretation of Willy Wonka and that really doesn’t matter considering what the film is going for. His Wonka is innocent to a fault, morally pure with a high level of quirk that Chalamet is able to communicate in his enunciation and movement. It’s a nice change of pace compared to his usual roles.

Olivia Colman steals every scene she is in, and manages to provide the film’s biggest laughs with Tom Davis. Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas and Mathew Baynton are likeable villains. Keegan-Michael Key as the chocolate obsessed Chief of Police is hilarious. Rowan Atkinson and Sally Hawkins shine in cameos.

In other roles, Calah Lane, Jim Carter, Natasha Rothwell, Rakhee Thakrar and Rich Fulcher are excellent. Hugh Grant‘s Oompa Loompa is an uncanny highlight who takes a while to appear and is absolutely worth the wait. On the whole, ‘Wonka’ is a charming, joyful, big, old-fashioned musical that is wholeheartedly entertaining.