I don’t know why I ever doubted Wonka; it’s from the creative minds behind Paddington, after all. I wondered if the movie would feel unnecessary in the same way legacy sequels/prequels often do but I was surprised by just how much fun it is.
We travel back in time to meet the fun, free-spirited young Wonka as he works towards becoming the mythical figure we love. At the start, he arrives in a town determined to realize a promise he made to his mother: to set up a shop at the famous Galeries Gourmet and make his fortune alongside other celebrated confectioners.
His eye-catching creations soon draw crowds, but also the unwelcome attention of the "Chocolate Cartel", who want nothing more than to get rid of him. Wonka’s troubles don’t stop there: he also crosses paths with Mrs. Scrubitt, a Dickensian hotelier who forces Wonka to work off an eye-watering debt in her washhouse after swindling him with outrageous hidden fees.
Plot isn’t necessarily a chief concern; it’s there, but messily stitched together, and wraps up in a way that doesn't quite make sense. The story more functions as a backdrop for the capers that Paul King’s come to be known for.
Those include silly, fantastical adventures like breaking into a secret chocolate vault under a cathedral guarded by chocoholic monks, breaking into the zoo to retrieve some giraffe milk to make one of Wonka’s top treats or even just the kaleidoscopic vision that is his short-lived first candy store. And, unsurprisingly, with King and Simon Farnarby behind the screenplay, there are also plenty of laughs to be had along the way.
"Loud" seems to be the order of the day; you get the sense that everything is working in tandem to put across the grand nature of the chocolatier’s dreams. Wonka is a visually arresting and kinetic movie, with lush costumes and gorgeous, colorful visuals coming together with a wonderful score and some catchy new songs (penned by The Divine Comedy’s Neil Hannon) to complement the old classics.
Being a film entirely centered on telling Willy Wonka’s story before he built his famous chocolate factory, Wonka was going to live or die on Timothée Chalamet’s performance in the title role. His Wonka is a different beast to Gene Wilder’s, with little hint of the 1971 Wonka’s more mischievous or even potentially sinister side. Instead, Chalamet turns in an energetic, wide-eyed performance youngster who’s keen to showcase his talents and help whoever crosses his path.
Wonka has charm to spare, and his energetic, uncynical portrayal of the ambitious and eccentric soon-to-be confection king is a big part of the film’s overall feel-good mood. And he doesn’t disappoint in the musical numbers, either, turning in tuneful performances and keeping up with the choreography nimbly.
Chalamet’s efforts are matched by the energy of the film’s star-studded cast which contains plenty of top-tier British talent; my highlights included Calah Lane as Wonka’s closest confidant, Noodle, the sneering Cartel comprised of Peep Show’s Paterson Joseph, Ghosts star Mathew Baynton and Matt Lucas, and, of course, a miniature Hugh Grant drawing on his roguish Dungeons & Dungeons: Honor Among Thieves charm as an Oompa Loompa.
A few minor issues prevent Wonka from being a pitch-perfect experience. There’s the aforementioned anarchic plotting, but the sore point I’d highlight is the pointless running gag surrounding the Chief of Police. In exchange for an endless supply of chocolate, he continues to harass Wonka on behalf of the Chocolate Cartel, and his character gains increasing amounts of weight as the plot steams ahead… culminating in Keegan Michael-Key sporting a fat suit. In an otherwise kind and high-spirited movie, this punchline feels completely out of place.
Those problems aside, Wonka remains a delectable treat. It pays homage to the much-loved 1971 Gene Wilder classic — Chalamet even gets his own "Pure Imagination" moment — without stepping on its legacy, whilst also setting out a grand new adventure that's wholly worth the price of a (golden) ticket.
Wonka hits theaters in the US on December 15 and on December 8 in the UK.
