‘Wonka’- Film Review: A Delightful Willy Wonka Prequel

Around this time last year, I was throwing together my most anticipated list of 2023, and there was one that was a gamble put on there because it could either be good or bad: Wonka. But there was a ton of skepticism around this prequel, and it’s very reasonable most weren’t excited about this idea. Not every legendary movie character requires an origin story, but how could one ever imagine the beginnings of Roald Dahl’s most cherished creation? After seeing the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory as a child, everyone fell in love with the work of the late, great Gene Wilder. Once we got Johnny Depp portraying him in Tim Burton’s 2005 remake, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, calling it weird is an understatement in a movie I didn’t care for when I was a kid. For all we know, this could’ve been another lackluster musical that came and went. But when you have a director like Paul King, who warmed all our hearts with Paddington and its superior sequel, nothing comes up short when Wonka is as sweet as a satisfying piece of candy.

What’s the Story: Arriving from a ship and into the big city, a young Willy Wonka (Timothée Chalamet) dreams of becoming the most extraordinary chocolatier the world has ever seen, hoping to open his chocolate shop inside the Galeries Gourmet. But on his first day, he’s entirely out of sovereigns, causing him to get hustled by Mrs. Scrubitt (Olivia Colman) and Mr. Bleacher (Tom Davis) after he didn’t read the fine print to get a room to stay. He and other captives are there to pay off their debt. But for Willy to sell his one-of-a-kind candies off the ground, he has not to get caught by his new competitors, Chocolate Cartel- Arthur Slugworth (Paterson Joseph), Gerald Prodnose (Matt Lucas) and Felix Fickelgruber (Matthew Baynton)- selling them for a hefty price so others wouldn’t enter into the scene.

The best thing you can say about King’s involvement is that older audiences have become familiar with the original. Surprisingly, it stood independently and introduced kids to this world before knowing the possible dark secrets. Because did we ever know what happened to the kids who won the golden ticket? Wonka is appropriate for a family film that doesn’t aim to take anything in the first ten minutes. But someone like Willy always had this shrouded in mystery when running his factory, though it makes sense to discover what made a guy like him decide to sell candy to everyone. I shouldn’t have cared, but while this never brought any surprises, it’s easy to get caught up in all the whimsy and optimistic nature King brought here as he did with his Paddington films.

Casting Timothée Chalamet, aka Lil’ Timmy Tim, in the role had some scratching their heads early on where nobody knew if he had the chops not to be compared heavily to his counterparts (mainly Wilder). In making this optimistic and energetic to the best of his advantage, his performance shows he can be more than a dramatic actor seen in Dune or Call Me By Your Name let loose into someone clever and oddly sympathetic with his ultimate goal. He’s everything you could ask in a protagonist, from being a very likable and funny young gentleman who we’ll later see become someone hiding away from society. What got me is how Willy is chasing his dreams to live up to what his mother (Sally Hawkins in her limited screen time) wanted. Maybe he doesn’t have the most vital singing voice in the world, and some might feel he’s miscast, but he pushed through it to make it work.

Speaking of the music, I knew firsthand this was a musical, which some probably needed to learn to go in despite the original being one, and there was even a stage musical in London’s West End. With music provided by the Brit pop band The Divine Comedy’s Neil Hannon and composer Joby Talbot, the songs took some time getting used to on first hearing. Once I listened to them again at home, they weren’t too bad, starting on a good note with the opening number “A Hatful of Dreams” to the iconic “Pure Imagination,” aiming for those nostalgia points. Did it have to be a musical? I didn’t think it needed to be, and even when not all the songs are memorable, they’re hard to resist.

Chalamet isn’t the only one standing out. Newcomer Calah Lane does a great job as Noodle, the young orphan who helps Willy with his plan while she helps him with his literacy. That central relationship gave Wonka the expected heart as they helped one another get out of trouble and understand where they come from regarding their struggles. Olivia Colman in anything nowadays is a blessing, with her as the villainous Mrs. Scrubitt channeling Miss Hannigan vibes from Annie (Carol Burnett in particular). With the idea of this having a Chocolate Cartel, it’s expected to have the trio of villains (Joseph, Lucas, Baynton) come across as cartoony and over-the-top. Most importantly, Hugh Grant made a humorous CGI Oompa Loompa dubbed Lofty, who always takes Willy’s chocolate until he is eventually caught, and he continues to surprise everyone with the films he is taking on. Similar to his supporting performances in Paddington 2 and this year’s underrated Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, this didn’t come off as a performer giving less of a crap out with the material, despite recently he didn’t enjoy playing this role. Still, regardless of his thoughts, he signed on and gave the funniest laughs.

But coming out of this, it is easy to realize nobody has to doubt what Paul King can do when entering the fantasy/ family realm. Not everything script-wise is perfect per se, though he will have us believe in this strange world where people are floating by eating out of this world treats or how chocolate cartels are replacing drug cartels, captured through mostly decent visuals and inspiring those hoping to catch that entrepreneur eye for business. Being dark differed from the approach when all it had to grab everyone’s attention was to be lighthearted, even when not comparing both versions. Only specific gags work these days, and the third act takes on a heist/espionage theme. However, I felt uncomfortable with Keegan, Michael Key’s character. Although I adore Key, he portrays the Chief of Police, whom the Cartel continuously buys off with tons of chocolate. This results in him gaining weight and a fat suit that’s hard to get behind. As someone always dealing with weight issues now more than ever, the fat jokes were unoriginal at best and continued to make me self-conscious.

Overall, Wonka made for one of the most pleasant surprises by the year’s end. With Timothée Chalamet’s whimsical touch to the character and the most fun one will have with a sweet tooth, time will tell if it’s worth calling it a classic musical. But the best part of it doesn’t lack taste. But the best part of it doesn’t lack taste. The early worries that this might fall short and become a money grab were swiftly eased because, although perhaps not necessary, the film succeeds in its charms and adds the same style and heart for which King is now known.