“Wonka” Movie Review

Just in time for the holiday season, “Wonka” is a feel-good flick that will certainly draw families into the movie theater.

“Wonka,” of course, takes place in the realm of the famous Roald Dahl story, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” and is the third time audiences are seeing the master chocolatier onscreen.

Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp delivered vastly different performances as Willy Wonka in their respective eras, and both undoubtedly set a high bar for Oscar-nominated actor, Timothée Chalamet.

Chalamet’s character is essentially Willy before he was “Wonka,” a penniless traveler trying to find the perfect place to open up a unique chocolate shop.

This Willy doesn’t feel like a younger version of Wilder or Depp, Chalamet’s charm and whimsy are vastly different than what audiences have seen before from both the character, and Chalamet himself.

The actor excels in emotional drama pieces such as “Call Me By Your Name” and “Beautiful Boy,” but his role as Willy Wonka proves Chalamet is one of the most versatile actors of this generation.

Chalamet embraces the silliness of Willy’s lines, and exudes a sense of play and fun that audiences have never seen from him before.

In the dreary city where Willy ends up after his travels, he seems to be the only chipper person around.

His positive attitude never falters in the opening musical number, “A Hat Full of Dreams,” even when he spends all 12 of the silver sovereigns in his pocket on his first day in town.

This leaves him with no money for a place to stay, and he ends up in a boarding house headed by the vile swindler Mrs. Scrubbitt (Olivia Coleman.)

She scams him into a life of servitude alongside a group of oddball workers, who teach him their style of work in the song “Scrub Scrub.”

One of these servants is a young girl named Noodle (Calah Lane), who was left in the laundry chute as a baby and was never claimed.

Noodle and Willy share an endearing sibling-like bond, and plot to make enough money from Willy’s chocolate to escape from Scrubbitt’s clutches.

The only problem — the city is run by the “Chocolate Cartel,” made up of chocolatiers Slugworth (Paterson Joseph), Prodnose (Matt Lucas) and Fickelgruber (Mathew Baynton.)

The three men will stop at nothing to sabotage Willy’s illegitimate business in the town square, where he presents magical confections called hoverchocs that make the eater fly.

The chief of police (Keegan Micheal-Key) is sent after Willy and bribed by the Cartel with payment he can’t get enough of — chocolate.

Key’s character gets progressively fatter as the film progresses, which is sure to garner laughs from the younger audience.

While the city itself and the Chocolate Cartel are dark and defeating, Willy and his musical numbers bring life to “Wonka.”

In “You’ve Never Had Chocolate Like This,” Willy introduces people to candies like they’ve never tasted before, making ridiculous rhymes and dancing around the city.

The musical numbers are the best part of “Wonka,” and are spread out enough that the viewer isn’t bombarded with them.

In “For a Moment,” Willy and Noodle dance after dark on top of the city cathedral holding an oversized bunch of balloons.

Willy just wants to cheer her up after she feels sad about not having a family, and he makes up silly rhymes like “Noodle, Noodle apple strudel / Some people don’t and some people do-dle.”

The theme of never giving up on dreams is echoed throughout the film, especially when Willy finally gets enough money to open up his chocolate shop.

“A World of Your Own” is when audiences finally get to experience the familiar colorful universe of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory.

The screen is splashed with every color of the rainbow — edible flowers, bees, clouds and more fill up Willy’s grand store.

Even if the moment is short-lived, it’s the most memorable of the film.

Some scenes could’ve certainly been enhanced in “Wonka,” mostly involving the Chocolate Cartel.

Slugworth was such a mysterious “villain” in the previous Willy Wonka films, but here, he simply serves as a crooked businessman who’s not really intimidating.

Moments between Mrs. Scrubbitt and her love interest, Bleacher (Tom Davis) also could have been sacrificed to see more of Willy’s journey learning how to make his special chocolate.

Now, there can’t be a Willy Wonka story without Oompa Loompas.

Hugh Grant takes on the role of the iconic little orange man who only seems to know how to sing one song, but makes the audience laugh with his quips at Willy.

Grant should’ve had more screen time, but truly shines with what he was given.

“Wonka” concludes with another familiar song to audiences — “Pure Imagination” from the original film.

Chalamet makes the song his own with a majestic crescendo at the end, practically laughing in the face of everyone who doubted his ability to play this role.

It’s clear how much love was put into this film, and how the cast had genuine fun with their characters.

Chalamet includes a little laugh in “Pure Imagination,” crafting an even more genuine piece that leaves the viewer with a smile on their face.

Rating: 4/5

Kaitlyn Murphy is a second-year majoring in digital and print journalism. To contact her, email kvm6255@psu.edu.