Wonka

This review may contain spoilers!

 

Wonka is a prequel tale depicting the origins of Willy Wonka and how he came to sell chocolate in London. Met with a fierce corporate competition and a city run by greedy individuals, it's down to a little chocolate and a lot of kindness to save the city and Willy's dreams.

I often think back to the boundless family films growing up in the 90s that had such optimism and joy, the characters were people you genuinely liked and the simplicity of the theme sometimes being little more than just 'be kind' was wonderful. A few years back Paul King made two movies that I think set the bar for what a family film really ought to be; these movies were Paddington and Paddington 2. Now we are fortunate enough to see him doing it again with another beloved character in Willy Wonka, and I am entirely impressed. As a musical film we are drawn to this fantastical story filled with showmanship and splendour, the musical moments become very personal touches to the world King is creating. I love that this feels so Dahl in nature, Bleacher and Mrs Scrubitt as antagonists are particularly the sort of foul-tempered and silly antagonists I would have expected to read in the pages of a Roald Dahl book as a kid. This was so sincere, and very dedicated to telling a story in which our protagonist didn't have to change but rather the strength of his character changed the world around him for the better. The fact that they kept little details that linked this depiction to Gene Wilder's Willy Wonka and other elements of Roald Dahl's worldbuilding is actually what gives this film a bit of substance. It's also sincerely funny without having to give up an ounce of trying to reach it's younger demographic, everyone in my theatre was laughing at the jokes scattered throughout. There's also a couple of solid emotional beats in this movie that steer it home well; particularly Noodle's search for her family and Willy's efforts to see his mother again.

The cinematography in this film feels like something out of a storybook, all bright colours and picturesque shots that feel a bit magical in their own style. There is something visually impressive about this film and how it projects a sense of wonder in the audience too. The visual effects aren't garish or over the top; in fact I quite enjoyed the Oompa Loompa design and the scene where the factory begins to build itself at the end is pretty special. I also found the zoo sequence a real delight, it's a nice instance where opting to go with CGI animals makes sense and enhances the piece. Yet in terms of what really sets this feature apart I have to talk about the score and the soundtrack. The score is a playful melody that really takes us deeper into the magic, it whirls through moments of adventure and peril and isn't afraid to get a little solemn in those sadder scenes. I really loved the musical numbers and how they essentially defined the character of Willy Wonka, a performer who also really believed in sharing his creations with others. Tracks like "A World of Your Own" or "Pure Imagination" really just got to the core of this character and what this movie wanted to say.

 

Timothée Chalamet, who played Willy Wonka; leads this film with nothing but charm and the sheer enthusiasm of this beloved role; I also admired that Chalamet included little streaks of zaniness that made the Wilder portrayal so iconic. Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, who played Officer Affable, isn't a major role but does leave a nice impression on the film; the moment he shares with Chalamet in which he shows Willy a bit of generosity is a nice moment that reminds us those antagonising Wonka aren't all bad. Calah Lane, who played Noodle, is a young performer with incredible range; the way she plays a young person who has lost her ability to trust others and rediscovers it over the course of the film through her friendship with Wonka is very special. Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas and Mathew Baynton, who played Slugworth, Prodnose and Fickelgruber respectively, are brilliant as the central greedy antagonists of the film; Joseph in particular stands tall as the conniving mastermind behind the whole chocolate empire. Keegan-Michael Key, who played the Chief of Police, makes a pretty rough subplot more entertaining than you might expect; Key is a master of comedy and brings this corrupt policeman to life in a whimsical manner. Jim Carter, who played Abacus Crunch, is a more reserved ally to Willy but is one who is nice to see become his biggest supporter; Carter portrays a figure who first seems world weary and resigned but comes to really take a thrill in getting into antics with his friends. Colin o'Brien and Sally Hawkins, who played Young Willy Wonka and Willy's Mother respectively, were around for a scene or two but had such a beautiful and important character moment together; the work Hawkins puts in to flesh out and make Willy's background have such an emotional impact is exemplary. Rowan Atkinson, who played Father Julius, is another minor antagonist role that I absolutely adored; Atkinson's corrupt priest gag is something he really gets to run away with to maximum effect. Hugh Grant, who played the Oompa-Loompa, is a bit more foul-tempered and vindictive than past portrayals of this role; yet the rivalry between him and Chalamet really made this the most character-driven Oompa-Loompa performance we've ever had.

However, the best performance came from Tom Davis and Olivia Colman, who played Bleacher and Mrs. Scrubitt respectively. I was so surprised by just how much I enjoyed these two, especially given they weren't even the main antagonists of the feature. Yet from the outset these original roles felt so entirely true to a story inspired by Roald Dahl and that had everything to do with this partnered performance. Davis was a growling, looming presence who felt mean to the bone. I enjoyed watching him undercut this gruff exterior as he leaned into his affections for Colman's role. Colman on the other hand really got to play things up as this cunning and devious motel keeper. Watching her wheedle and manipulate guests and then growing steadily more cantankerous as we came to know her better over the film was both funny and fun. I think Davis and Colman paired off one another well; they took pleasure in being a bit over the top with their mean-spirited roles but also had wicked fun in the romance subplot their roles got tricked into. A delightful bad guy duo that I'll think fondly of.

Though Wonka might just be one of my favourite films of the year I found it wasn't without its flaws. There's a running gag subplot with the police captain and a chocolate addiction, a bit that kind of involves a fat suit and him making a bigger and bigger fool of itself. It's an outdated sort of point and laugh type of comedy that I think was in this movie a little too much and overstayed its welcome.

 

The cinematography overall is pretty good but I did feel the moments where Paul King tries to capture choreography shows a certain level of weakness. It would have been nice for those big numbers to have been better framed and respect the symmetry the dancers themselves were putting into their performance.

 

Rakhee Thakrar, Natasha Rothwell and Rich Fulcher, who played Lottie Bell, Piper Benz and Larry Chucklesworth respectively, are an odd little ensemble that never really stand out much; these are figures that sort of round out Wonka's 'team' but they never really stand on their own as characters.

Paul King made Paddington 2, are we even remotely surprised with how much I loved this? I would give Wonka a 9/10.