Wonka

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.

On paper, Wonka is a cynical cash grab of an idea but in the hands of the extremely talented duo of Paul King and Simon Farnaby it becomes another heartwarming story of a kind person who just wants to make the world a better place. Even if it feels its run time more than King and Faranby's previous work it still remains thoroughly entertaining and emotionally investing.

Timothée Chalamet lacks the darker edge with this interpretation of Willy Wonka and that really doesn't matter considering what the film is going for. His Wonka is innocent to a fault, morally pure with a high level of quirk that Chalamet is able to communicate in his enunciation and movement. It's a nice change of pace compared to his usual roles.

The supporting cast is full of comedians who take it in turns stealing scenes. Hugh Grant's Oompa Loompa is an uncanny highlight who takes a while to appear and is absolutely worth the wait. Paterson Joseph excels at playing a full on pantomime villain complimented by Matt Lucas and Matthew Baynton to make for a delightfully evil trio.

Paul King's direction brings the expected whimsy with a nice level of energy to the musical numbers. The songs by Neil Hannon are generally fine, suitably entertaining in the moment without staying power so it successfully goes back to Pure Imagination a few times, with Joby Talbot's score happily sprinkling it in throughout.

Memories of Gene Wilder's Willy Wonka performance come to mind and whereas his 1971 version was magical and witty, this 2023 version of Wonka is a bit underwhelming to be honest...

The bad: the songs just dont excite me. They just dont. They are not terrible, but quite average. The songs in the 1971 version of Willy Wonka were superb. I can still remember them to this very day!

More bad: there is a lack of magic and surprise. The story just doesnt take me on a trip like the original did. Sorry, that I keep comparing this one to the original. Perhaps I shouldnt?

Not any good then? This movie will surely please the young kids who ofcourse are the target audience for this movie. It's a nice fantasy musical movie for sure, with a bunch of TERRIFIC English actors, who lift this movie up. Timothee Chalamet did an allright job as well.

Nothing to really dislike about it, but nothing to get really excited about it either unfortunately, for me as a grownup fan of the original Willy Wonka with Gene Wilder.

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.

As a child I grew up absolutely loving Gene Wilder in the role, I didn't care for Johnny Depp, that film was just too weird, along comes Chalamet, pretty good in the part, I just wasn't crazy about the film.

I felt as though I was watching a musical somewhere in The West End, lots of musical numbers, and a plot which was there, but more so for the sake of it.

1971's film presents us with a world of magic, what child (or adult for that matter) wouldn't have wanted to get into that factory, and didn't end up singing those songs, sadly there's none of that here. It's very well made, it's well acted, all that's missing is the magic.

I know I shouldn't be comparing it to the past, it's better than the Depp movie, but not a patch on Wilder's.