Wonka

This weekend, Wonka, a prequel to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, was released in theaters. Wonka follows a young Willy Wonka as he travels to England to start pursuing his dream of selling chocolate. I was incredibly skeptical about this film. I thought that the movie was completely unnecessary and based on the trailers felt that Timothee Chalamet was miscast as Wonka. However, I heard that it was directed by the same guy as Paddington and hoped the movie would win me over.

I am happy to say that this movie absolutely won me over. It was an incredibly charming movie that was so much fun from beginning to end. Timothee Chalamet won me over with his performance as Willy Wonka. He does a great job of capturing the wacky energy of Willy Wonka. He manages to play tribute to Gene Wilder's performance while still bringing his own take on the character. The songs are also so much fun and memorable. Timothee Chalamet and the rest all give great singing performances. I liked the songs so much that I continued to listen to them once I got home. The movie also pays tribute to several songs from the original such as the Oompa Loompa song and Pure Imagination. Hearing both of these songs just put a big grin on my face. The movie is also incredibly funny. There were so many moments that made me laugh out loud. I also found that the movie was very well-rounded. It has moments for both kids and adults and is just a lot of fun for the whole family. The story overall is just incredibly sweet. The movie will make you feel good throughout the film and cause you to leave the movie with a big grin on your face. Overall, this is an incredibly charming movie that is so feel-good with great songs and a great story.

There are a few minor issues that I had with the film. I felt the Oompa Loompa characters were a bit wasted. I wish it would have been a more predominant part of the story. The other issue I had was that I felt that Timothee Chalamet tried a bit too hard to be Gene Wilder a few times. When he does his own thing, he is fantastic but when he tries to be Gene Wilder, it doesn't work as much. It doesn't happen very often, it is just a few scenes.

Overall, this movie completely won me over. It was incredibly charming and was just a few good films from beginning to end. It has great moments for everyone and is just a fun film for the whole family.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A- Recommendation: A must-see film for the whole family