Review - Wonka (2023)

        Hey guys, Chuck here, and I just went to see what, in my opinion, is easily going to be the breakout film of the holiday season. Wonka, starring Timothee Chalamet, Calah Lane, Matt Lucas, Keegan Michael Key, Paterson Joseph, Sally Hawkins, Olivia Coleman, and Hugh Grant, is Warner Bros. new film that explores the backstory of Roald Dahl's iconic character of Willy Wonka. The film was directed by Paul King, director of the Paddington movies, and I found it to be a genuine delight.

       The movie focuses on Willy Wonka, a young man with a dream of making many people happy with his one-of-a-kind style of chocolates, with a shop in the prestigious Galeries Gourmet. Unfortunately, his unique chocolates draw the ire of a terrible trio of chocolatiers known as the Chocolate Cartel. This trio, unsurprisingly, consists of Arthur Slugworth, Felix Fickelgruber, and Gerald Prodnose. With the help of his new friends, all working in the wash house of a terrible woman named Mrs. Scrubitt, and an Oompa Loompa named Lofty, can the young Wonka make the world fall in love with his chocolate and show up the Chocolate Cartel? You're just going to have to see the movie yourself to find out. 

         Now, I will be the first to admit that this was my first experience watching a film by Paul King, as I haven't seen either of the two Paddington movies. But, I must say that Wonka was genuinely delightful. The tone and visual style of the storytelling was very warm and pleasant, with moments that will appeal to adults as well as children. And, much of the design is evocative of the 1971 original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory with Gene Wilder, but it also establishes a unique world that stands apart from previous Willy Wonka movies. 

          The music, both the score by composer Joby Harold and the songs by Neil Hannon, were really good. And, a majority of them were sung by Timothee Chalamet as Willy Wonka. Now, while a few of the new songs like "A Hatful of Dreams" and "You've Never Had Chocolate Like This" were decent, the two best songs are the songs "Oompa Loompa," which is sung by Hugh Grant, and of course "Pure Imagination." I listened to Timothee Chalamet's rendition of "Pure Imagination" multiple times before seeing the movie, and it is one of the best renditions of the song I've heard, second only to the original version by Gene Wilder. 

         The cast of the movie was fantastic. Calah Lane as Noodle was a genuine delight, and she gets quite a bit of screentime shared with Willy Wonka. Olivia Coleman as Mrs. Scrubitt was delectably evil, and was definitely entertaining here. Keegan Michael Key as the Chief of Police was pretty hysterical. As for the trio of Slugworth, Fickelgruber, and Prodnose, actors Paterson Joseph, Matthew Baynton, and Matt Lucas were all three delectably devious in their efforts to thwart Wonka. I also enjoyed seeing the likes of Jim Carter and Natasha Rothwell, who I've enjoyed in several projects. But, the one that, despite limited screen time, really stood out was Hugh Grant as Lofty the Oompa Loompa. He was fun, and funny, and just a joy to watch whenever he appeared on screen. And, I'm glad they went with the more classic appearance of the Oompa Loompas, orange skin and green hair. It's such an iconic look, and is typically what most tend to think of when they hear the name Oompa Loompa. 

         But, the biggest question remains: how was Timothee Chalamet as Willy Wonka? Well, despite it being a much lighter and more family friendly character than is normal for him as an actor, Timothee Chalamet is absolutely fantastic as Willy Wonka, playing him with whimsy and charm evocative of Gene Wilder, but with a youthful energy and optimism that makes the character uniquely his own. I loved every minute of Timothee Chalamet's performance in this movie, and it's definitely one of my favorite performances of his, and that includes his rendition of Paul Atreides in Dune. Now, by comparison to the previous two versions of Willy Wonka, Timothee Chalamet is almost as good as Gene Wilder, and is far better than Johnny Depp. 

          Overall, I loved every minute of Wonka. This movie is, in my opinion, a delectable confectionary of nostalgic delight and fantastical charm that the whole family can love and appreciate. Now, what's really unique about it is that it can be seen as both a prequel to the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and as it's own unique movie. I'm giving Wonka a rating of 5/5. Definitely get the family together, head to the theater, and see what I think will be the breakout film of the holiday season. 

        Alright guys, this is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you guys tomorrow.