“Wonka”: A Candy-Flavored Story for All the Family

A new take on the beloved character. Here are my thoughts on Wonka

Summary

After seven years at sea, Willy Wonka arrives in Europe to fulfill his biggest dream: opening his own chocolate shop at the Galleries Gourmet. Little does he know, that his extravagant and delicious products will make him the target of the powerful Chocolate Cartel, who are not willing to accept competition in their business.

Willy’s innocent and sweet-natured personality will attract a lot of trouble, but it will also gain him some good friends along the way.

A heartwarming story about following your dreams, and the importance of friendship.

Magical and Charming

From the first trailer, I saw a very Harry Potter style, and later I realized one of the production companies involved was Heyday Films, the one that made all the of the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts movies. Maybe that’s why. As predicted, the production design was beautiful. It made me a little nostalgic: films that look like these are not made anymore.

Timothée Chalamet is absolutely charming in the role. I’ve never been a fan of his work, but I loved his performance here. The cast has many other familiar names, such as Olivia Colman as the evil Mrs. Scrubbit, Hugh Grant as Lofty the Oompa Loompa, and Sally Hawkins as Willy’s mom. Everyone, including the supporting actors, is at their best.

All the characters, even though they don’t get a lot of development, are nice and likeable. Most of the films I watched in 2023 had really annoying and entitled characters, so this was refreshing.

Overall, it was a sweet and fun family-friendly movie.

What Is a Prequel?

Wonka was marketed as a prequel, an origin story, but I fail to see this as anything but an independent story based on the character. It has no connection to the adult Willy Wonka we see in the books, or in the previous movie adaptations.

If I remember accurately, the conflict in Charlie and the chocolate factory revolves around Willy looking for an heir. He has no family and no friends who can inherit the factory, and take care of the Oompa Loompas when he becomes too old to continue. It is introduced to us as an eccentric, and socially awkward man, brilliant and successful, but lonely. That’s why he came up with the idea of the golden tickets in the first place.

Throughout this new film, Willy creates a connection with a group of people, and learns that achieving your finest dreams is wonderful, but the real joy comes from having someone to share your success with. How do we reconcile these two people? If Willy had already learned that lesson, how do we explain what happens afterward?

I think a proper origin story should create a link between the source material and the new project, and I don’t see that here.

A Regular Musical

I went into the theater with only the trailers as a reference, so I was certainly surprised when Timothée Chalamet started singing.

Even though the musical numbers are fun to watch, they bring nothing new to the table. None of the songs are memorable in the slightest. I forgot them as soon as I left the theater. The only song I believe served its purpose was “Pure Imagination,” which was casually the only one that was not original. It belongs to the 1971 movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, the first screen adaptation of the source material.

It reminded me of watching The Greatest Showman some years ago: I enjoyed it, but having watched many other musicals, it felt kind of generic.

If you haven’t watched many musicals in your life, I dare say you will disagree with me. I understand. As I said, I think it was enjoyable, but it’s not a movie that will live in my memory for its musical aspects.

It Deserves Some Praise

Despite all my observations, I have to admit that this was one of the best movies that I watched in theaters in 2023. We’re living in a time when almost every film tries to give some sort of political, or social message, forgetting the first and most important thing they need to provide: entertainment.

Sometimes people just want something fun, easy to digest, that allows them to escape reality for a little while—something they can watch with their families to spend a nice moment together. And considering the success this movie has had at the box office, I believe I’m not alone in this opinion.

If that is what you’re looking for, Wonka may be the perfect choice for you. I recommend it.