“Wonka” was released by Warner Bros in December of 2023 and is the third film based on Roald Dahl’s original “Charlie and The Chocolate Factory” novel from 1964. The other two movies are “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” from 1971 and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” from 2005, meaning it had been a while since there was another interpretation of this classic story. In the form of a musical fantasy comedy film, it depicts Willy Wonka’s early life as a struggling chocolatier, trying to establish himself in the chocolate industry. Standing in his way is a town corrupted by three wealthy chocolate companies who stay in power by bribing city officials with chocolate.
The plot was very unique, and every part of the story was about as ridiculous as it gets. Throughout the entire movie, it felt like everything could have been chalked up to a drug-induced dream of Willy Wonka. It felt a little too weird, like they just threw in whatever they felt like adding with very little thought. Perhaps this makes it better in some people’s eyes, but, to many, it may feel like a lackluster effort to add comedy. Despite this, the story was coherent and just entertaining enough to watch all the way through.
In contrast, all of the character choices were obviously well thought out and by far the best part of the movie. The characters were perfectly diverse in age and gender, which provided a wide range of relatability for pretty much any audience. This is what made it not just a kid’s movie, but a movie for all ages. What helped with its appeal to all ages was the choice of actors, like Timothée Chalamet and Rowan Atkinson who were well suited to their roles and were clearly a group of people who do well in comedy films such as this.
Nothing was left on the table in terms of cinematics. Every scene was well thought out and visually appealing. The team in charge of this was definitely good at what they do, as the visual aspects of the movie were great. This, however, was clouded by the poorly thought-out storyline that detracted from this and the previously mentioned good character choice.
“Wonka” is a good addition to the classic “Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory” story. With elements to appeal to just about any age, it’s a good family movie. But for those who are less into the musical aspect, this movie may prove rather disappointing. As would it to anyone who looked just a bit too closely into the potentially problematic storyline. Despite this, for anyone who enjoyed any of the previous “Wonka” related movies, or is just looking for another addition to family movie night, it’s worth a watch.
