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In a world of pure imagination, anything is possible, including an origin story of one of the most iconic and sweet characters in pop culture history. Starring Timothée Chalamet and directed by Paul King, Wonka tells the story of the famous chocolatier, Willy Wonka, and his rough yet hopeful beginnings. When Wonka chases his dream of opening up his own chocolatier shop, he encounters an insurmountable amount of debt alongside three other chocolatiers who are determined to bring him down. But in pure Wonka fashion, he’s definitely got some tricks up his sleeve.
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The film is intended to serve as a prequel to the original 1971 film, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory starring Gene Wilder as the titular character. And boy, does it bring us back to a world of magic and wonder! Wonka manages to build a world that starts off gray and gloomy, lacking in hope and dreams. It’s not until our main character begins to bring something new to the town that the visuals throughout the film begin to change and brighten. Dreaming dreamers are encouraged to imagine the impossible while Wonka makes it possible for them. The colors, the fancy chocolates, the surreal and otherworldly feeling that emits from the environment is one that is certainly reminiscent of the original film.
While there’s no real basis for the origins of Willy Wonka himself, the story of the film is far more endearing and beautiful than a previous attempt at his origin story. There is love and sadness, determination and obstacles, and most of all, there are heartfelt moments of growth and triumph. There is fluidity throughout the film as it incorporates various other characters, both allies and antagonists, into the plot. Everyone gets a story, even if it’s a small one, and it’s put to use at some point throughout the film.
And if you weren’t aware before, now you are: Wonka is a musical! And that should come to no one’s surprise considering its predecessor was also a fantastic musical with catchy and iconic songs. While there aren’t many musical references to the original save for one, Wonka still keeps the heartwarming tone of music alive while giving us memorable tracks like “A Hatful of Dreams”, “Scrub Scrub”, and “A World of Your Own”. With Timothée Chalamet providing the vocals of a majority of the songs, while it does sound like he misses a few notes here and there, he manages to execute his musical numbers with much ease.
But what about Wonka himself? Timothée Chalamet proves himself to be the perfect casting choice for the character. He is far more optimistic than anything, and successfully maintains the charm, charisma, and eccentricity of Willy Wonka in a fashion that is already difficult to replicate. But alongside Chalamet is his counterpart, Calah Lane as Noodle who shines the brightest. Lane introduces us to the tricksy nature of those in the town this adventure takes place in but also presents us innocence in its purest form. Not only is she sweet and likable, but her on-screen chemistry with Chalamet is impeccable. Additionally, the delightfully antagonistic performances from Olivia Coleman, Rowan Atkinson, and Paterson Joseph add fire to the flame of villainy as they push us to keep rooting for our main heroes.
However, Wonka does have its few unfortunate disappointments from the glaring fatphobia to the improper casting of Oompa Loompas. In a present day world where not all jokes are found to be jokes and casting the right people in specific roles holds high value, Wonka is on the balance beam between knowing its targeted audience and being slightly out of touch. There’s an understandable need to convey greed, corruption, and the dangers of capitalism in a film like Wonka. However, throwing a major supporting character into fat suits that gradually get larger over time solely for the laughs is certainly not the way to do it. Unfunny and insulting, it only further demonizes an entire demographic. And while Hugh Grant is a wonderful actor who provides enough giggles in his role as an Oompa Loompa, it might be time to start actually casting people with Dwarfism in roles like Oompa Loompas and save us from the jarring CGI.
If you grew up watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and remain a huge fan of the film, Wonka will immediately drag you back to that delicious world and make you wish Wonka bars were real. The film proves to be eye-candy with its colorful visuals while also establishing a consistent tone for its setting and heartfelt story. And as easy as it is to shrug off musicals and yell out “Bah, humbug!”, consider setting aside any disdain for musicals and check this one out. Besides, a little bit of magic, music, and chocolate never hurt anyone, especially during the holiday season.
Samosa Rating:
Wonka receives 3.5 out of 5 Samosas.
Wonka is now playing in theaters.
Runtime: 1h 56m
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