Wonka is a 2023 musical fantasy film directed by Paul King (Paddington, Paddington 2), who co-wrote the screenplay with Simon Farnaby. It tells the origin story of Willy Wonka, a character in Roald Dahl's 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

With dreams of opening a shop in a city renowned for its chocolate, a young and poor Willy Wonka discovers that the industry is run by a cartel of greedy chocolatiers.

The film stars Timothée Chalamet taking on the lead role of Willy Wonka, featuring his early days as an eccentric chocolatier. The cast also includes newcomer Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Carter, Tom Davis, Olivia Colman, and Hugh Grant.

Wonka made its debut in theaters on December 15th, 2023, courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.

THE GOOD

I’ll start by saying I’m not a big fan of musicals, and to be honest I tend to avoid them when possible. I’m a bit embarrassed to admit it, but I still have yet to see La La Land, and I LOVE me some Ryan Gosling. Sure I have been taken by surprise and I have enjoyed my fair share of musicals, like The Greatest Showman or Dear Evan Hansen, but in general to say that I don’t seek them out would be an understatement. Now I am always willing to give a musical a chance if it has enough redeeming qualities that interest me, and as a big fan of the original 1971 film Wonka deserved a shot. So, was it worth my time or was I in for a long and painful two hours? Keep reading to find out!

I will get to the point right away, Wonka won me over right from the start. I thought the cast was just fantastic, the story was simple yet immersive and full of life, and the film captured that feeling of unrelenting optimism and positivity in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. In many ways, this is the type of film people need right now, as Willy Wonka reminds us that sometimes we just need to stay the course and believe things will work out in the end. I found myself rooting for him from the start, and the backstory involving his mother hit me pretty hard as well. Trust me when I say that the film does include a strong emotional element, and may even require a few tissues.

I was impressed with how well each character was able to develop and become an important part of the overall story, and I also thought they did a great job balancing the “Willy Wonka Magic” in a way that never really felt too silly or over-the-top. I was genuinely intrigued by Wonka’s creations and was tempted on several occasions to make my way to concessions for some chocolate. Most importantly I thought the film offered the perfect balance of musical and feel-good comedy, making it so people who are fans of both genres have more than enough to sink their teeth into. The film is also very funny without trying too hard which speaks to the talent of the cast.

I enjoyed so many things about Wonka, but star Timothée Chalamet stole the show. I read an interview with director Paul King where he said that Chalamet was his choice for the role right from the start to the point where he didn’t even require him to audition. King said he watched some videos of Chalamet during his high school days and knew he had the singing and dancing talent. Bottom line, this director’s intuition made this movie in my opinion. Similar to how Tom Holland was able to capture the essence of the character of Peter Parker in Spider-Man, Chalamet brings that feel of boyhood wonder needed for the early years of an optimistic and kind-to-a-fault Willy Wonka. I already knew that Chalamet was leading the way for the next generation of Hollywood stars before Wonka, I would dare to say he is the next DiCaprio in terms of his talent and versatility as an actor, but this performance undoubtedly paves the way for a resurgence of this film franchise.

The supporting cast was fantastic as well and I loved my guy Keegan-Michael Key as the Chief of Police. Key is the perfect well-intentioned bumbling police chief who is driven by his love for chocolate, which lands him on the wrong side of justice with quite the waistline. I was impressed with actress Calah Lane as she took on the role of Noodle, the orphaned girl who sticks her neck out for Chalamet’s Wonka creating what becomes an unbreakable bond. Her story is equally heartbreaking and amazing, and I just loved everything about her character. Lane is fairly unknown as an actress but something tells me that after her performance here and proving that she can act alongside the talent of Chalamet, we will be hearing her name again sooner than later. English actor and comedian Tom Davis was fantastic in his role as Bleacher, and Olivia Colman was equally as enjoyable alongside him as the scheming and untrustworthy Mrs. Scrubitt. Big shoutout to Jim Carter, Rich Fulcher, Rakhee Thakrar, and Natasha Rothwell as the tremendous crew trapped in Mrs. Scrubitt’s laundry who welcomes Wonka with open arms. I loved all four characters and looked forward to each time they were on-screen. Matt Lucas, Paterson Joseph, and Mathew Baynton are also really good as the film’s primary antagonists. Oh and don’t even get me going on Hugh Grant as an Oompa Loompa, so good.

From a technical standpoint, Wonka is just fantastic. From the costumes, set design, and special effects, it all just felt true to the world they were attempting to create with this film. Viewers needed to buy into the idea of a young Willy Wonka and how his adventure began at a young age, and in my opinion, they accomplished that, and then some. This world felt full of life and more importantly, it never felt too far from reality, even with all of the wild tricks Wonka had up his sleeve. The original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, is a wacky film, and honestly a bit creepy at times, so I was curious as to how they would incorporate the “magic” of Willy Wonka without going too far. Wonka still manages to be plenty wacky, but I felt like it managed to have a great buffer between Willy Wonka’s limitless imagination and the real-world element the film was attempting to convey. Bottom line, as a prequel to a film that is an absolute classic, I’m not sure they could have done a better job.

THE BAD

I didn’t have many issues with Wonka, to be honest. It was an enjoyable film from start to finish, and considering I’m not a big fan of musicals it easily could have rubbed me the wrong way. But as far as musicals go I will say that I didn’t find the soundtrack to be as catchy as I thought it would be. I figured I would be hearing the original songs in my head for the next few days at least, and that wasn’t the case. When I saw The Greatest Showman or Dear Evan Hansen, I played the soundtracks at home several times after seeing the movies. Maybe part of the reason was the fact that Wonka balanced the musical element with that of a great coming-of-age story, never relying too much on the music. As I made pretty clear in my review I found this to be a positive, but fans of musicals may expect a bit more so I figured it was worth pointing out.

THE VERDICT

Delightfully comforting as it offers a decadent and satisfying balance of feel-good comedy and the upbeat feel of a classic musical, Wonka is genuinely a pleasure to experience and further reinforces star Timothée Chalamet as one of the best young actors working today. Director Paul King deserves a ton of credit for bringing together the perfect team of people to bring this unique chapter of the Willy Wonka story to the big screen. For me this film just provided one of those special cinematic experiences that offers up an escape to another world, and in this day and age what more can you ask for?

Wonka will surely provide smiles and laughter for longtime fans and newcomers getting their first taste of the famed chocolatier. Plus, a miniature orange Hugh Grant with green hair may be worth the price of admission alone. Interest in continuing to build on the franchise has been expressed but nothing is set in stone yet as far as a follow-up to Wonka, but I will surely keep my fingers crossed.