Wonka

Proving that his work on the one two punch that was Paddington and then it's universally praised sequel was not per chance, British director Paul King has managed to bring the same amount of energy, charm, heart and smarts he delivered with his marmalade loving bear to this high profile Willy Wonka prequel that should become the crowd pleasing hit of this years festive/holiday period.

Utilising his comedy background and career making work on the cult UK TV series The Mighty Boosh (fans of which will be pleased to see a key role for Rich Fulcher here), King ensures that his musical infused adventure that follows Timothée Chalamet's young Willy Wonka during his first attempts to conquer the chocolate world with his magical inventions and colorful showmanship, is a film that constantly is on the move and one that ensures it's filled to the brim with wonder, whimsy and wackiness that should find it appealing to a wide ranging age-group and audience.

It's not as though the world was exactly crying out to find out more about the beloved character many of us fell in love with either in Roald Dahl's original book or the Gene Wilder starring classic film from 1971 but King and his screenwriting partner Simon Farnaby instantly make us engaged and interested in this tale that has a wide ranging reach and works in a number of facets without ever losing momentum.

Rarely pausing for breath between its colourful character interactions, enjoyable song and dance numbers and more poignant aspects that make Wonka more than just all sugar and no substance, King's enjoyable ride harbours a clear labour of love at its core that gels perfectly with its more old-school film-making vibe and delivery that once more acts as an example that Hollywood's incessant nature to try and be "hip" and boundary pushing isn't always needed to find a winning formula.

Within King's winning Wonka formula he has managed to create and gift a number of memorably fun performances from his talented cast and while Chalamet gives it his best shot in easily his most challenging performance yet, his role as Willy Wonka doesn't always seem ideally suited to his acting sensibilities, it's in the supporting cast that Wonka finds its comedic gold.

From Olivia Colman's yellow-toothed nasty Mrs. Scrubbit, Tom Davis's wild-haired Bleacher, Keegan-Michael Key's sweet-toothed police chief and Hugh Grant's (bizarrely controversial) scene-stealing Oompa-Loompa, Wonka's cast of newbies and industry vets alike all have a blast playing their parts here and Wonka's overall feeling and end result seems to be the product of a film that was a lot of fun to make and bring to life.

There may not be any groundbreaking new messages taking place here and I don't suspect Wonka will ever be regarded as the type of family friendly all-time classic as its original source material or first film iteration are seen as but it would take a hard-hearted and Scrubbit like viewer to not find enjoyment from such an entertaining and imaginative new take on one of the worlds most well-known properties.

Final Say -

Another resounding success for director Paul King, who has here further established his reputation as the leader of family friendly cinematic adventures, Wonka is a charming and enjoyable big screen ride that deserves to be this years most resounding holiday hit.

4 unsolved murders out of 5.

Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys)

Listen, I liked this movie. It was good, I just wished it gave me more. Felt like there was some underutilizing of potential, so it felt s little hollow for me.

It didn't tug on my heart strings or emotions ever, but it made it chuckle and Timothee was great as Wonka. A lot of unecessary singing. I can fully get into a good musical if the songs are good and properly placed and spread out, but I can't stand it when they sing songs just to sing, when they could just... talk. Some of the songs the movie weren't really catchy or even good, and felt pointless.

Positives: great casting, funny, beautiful sets and costumes. Could watch it at home just to watch a cozy movie (if you're into musicals), but not worth seeing in the theaters like I did.

When I heard that this movie was in production I was quite scared, the reason? I thought it would be another unnecessary sequel/prequel/reboot/remake.

I was surprised that Chalamet had taken the lead role when he's been making hit after hit.

Luckily I was wrong. This movie, which is a prequel to Gene Wilder's, I don't know how but it works. The actors are very good, the direction is also good and the musical section (of which I'm not a big fan) also hits the mark.

We have nods to the work of Roald Dahl, nods to the 70s movie and a very tender adventure but also with its madness.

Although I don't think it will go down in history as a great movie, it leaves me with the good feeling that if you put your heart into it, we can have plenty of material to continue marveling at cinema.

Paul King, the director behind the enchanting Paddington films entered the fold to direct a prequel to Gene Wilder's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Unfortunately, this outing is overproduced and overdone. And just like chocolate; some things are best had in moderation. Roald Dahl's work in recent times has regrettably been tampered with to remove language related to race, gender, weight, and mental health that today's readers might deem offensive. This film feels like a continuation of that craven desire to be inoffensive. The result is a slightly safe and garden variety end-product which isn't much of a tribute to Dahl, if it even wanted to be.

For me, all things Willy Wonka should be almost like an experiential hallucination; self-contained, a bit mysterious, and open to interpretation, without the need for any elaborate backstory spelling things out. Wonka should be an experience, not a storyboard. He ought be unpredictable, a one-off. In the book he is innovative, flamboyant, stubborn, arrogant, and authoritarian. We saw the innovative and the flamboyant, but none of the rest. Or how those latter qualities might have taken, or were taking, shape. Timothee Chalamet's portrayal, for all its innocent charms and trinkets, simply did not have the comedic and deliciously unpredictable edge of either Wilder or Depp's Wonkas; the dimensionality just wasn't there. That "edge" would have bounced off the sassiness of the stubborn Oompa Loompa perfectly, helping the audience to see how Wonka wins them over (besides just a paltry supposed bribe of chocolate tasting). Here, it's Hugh Grant outsmarting, outshining, and outwitting a bumbling wide-smiling, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed Wonka in most of the scenes they share. The musical genre of this film wasn't a bad call, given the iconic hit of Wilder's "Pure Imagination," why not try out a musical style? The original songs here could have a little more oomph, though, lyrically and musically. The trio of main villains were excellently cast, with Matt Lucas, Paterson Joseph (stealing the show), and Mathew Baynton. All three were a treat to see on-screen.

Overall this film is relatively unchallenging for children compared to Wilder's 1971 work under the original source material, or Tim Burton's satirical 2005 outing. Imagining Willy Wonka as sweet, cloying and one-toned as he's shown here with Chalamet doesn't quite hit the sweet spot.

6.8/10.

The beginning of the movie was promising, but then it became quite ridiculous and silly.

None of the songs in the movie were to my liking, with the exception of the opening song which was passable.

The acting was great, and Timothée Chalamet gave a very good performance.

I wouldn't say that I hated the movie, but it didn't do much for me either.

I think it would appeal to children more than adults.

I think the movie would have been better if more effort had been put into the screenplay and story.

I was so happy to see Charlotte Ritchie in the movie, even if it was just for a short time .