“Wonka” describes the origin story of Willy Wonka, the world’s best chocolatier played by Timothee Chalamet and directed by Paul King. It is a musical prequel to the classic 1971 movie “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” starring Gene Wilder. While one might be curious how the deranged Wonka Wilder portrayed came to be, I would advise you to wait until “Wonka” comes to cable television, as it was not worth the movie ticket, and not even Wonka’s delectable chocolate could save it.
The story begins with a young and broke Wonka who has just arrived at the Gallery Gourmet after years of traveling and studying how to make the best chocolate. He plans to open a shop but finds it difficult to obtain with zero money, the chocolate cartel out for his throat and he is tricked into servitude by the cunning Mrs. Scrubbit, portrayed by Olivia Colman.
The plot was in one word- odd- as Wonka and his sidekick friend, Noodle played by Calah Lane, milked a giraffe at one point in the movie. Yes, giraffes produce milk and no, watching this movie did not make me want to try it.
Along with the whimsical plot, there seemed to be a gaping hole in the middle. Wonka had just purchased the store of his dreams in the Galery Gourmet, then the next second it was built and completely furnished with edible chocolaty “greenery”, much like the scene in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Everything seemed to be going well, but then Wonka found out that his chocolates had been poisoned by Scrubbit and her henchman Bleacher, portrayed by Tom Davis. I found this to be random considering the events that had happened before the scene, and also unnecessary. It seemed that there were too many events to fit into the 116-minute time frame.
Although the plot was rocky and I had to watch a giraffe get milked, the rest of the movie was enjoyable. The musical numbers were catchy, and as a fan of Gene Wilder Wonka, I appreciated the addition of “Pure Imagination” to the soundtrack.
Timothee Chalamet surprised me, as he was a great fit for a naive and sweet young Wonka. The trailers made it seem like Chalamet delivered his lines quite stale, but he shined in a fun role, unlike his roles in “Dune” and “Little Women.” He also sang very well and the songs he sang were catchy and entertaining.
I would feel wrong writing this review and not mentioning Hugh Grant’s hilarious adaptation of the Oompa Loompa. Each time he came on screen, bright orange like he got a fake tan with the blinding green wig, he delivered his lines with a sophisticated Oompa Loompa humor that had me laughing each time.
Overall this movie was silly and full to the brim, it was a great and funny musical providing the backstory to the complicated character of Willy Wonka to watch with your family- when it leaves theaters.
