“Wonka,” the latest motion picture version of the adventures of chocoholic Willy Wonka, is the kind of film to which I would liked to have taken my four-year-old great-nephew Graham. Alas, he’s still in G-rated movie-going territory. The new prequel is rated PG. However, the current “Wonka” is relatively innocent, albeit still primarily for older children.
Graham has named “The Polar Express” as the best movie he’s “ever seen.” High praise, indeed, even if he’s seen only three features. The other two are “The Secret Life Of Pets” and “PAW Patrol: The Movie.”
“Wonka,” which stars Timothy Chalamet as Willy, a youthful, chocolate-loving fellow, is a prequel. In the wrong hands, prequels will sometimes generate events, characters and incidents that overwhelm the sense and structure of the original tale. Fortunately, we’re in the right hands. The capable ringmaster is director Paul King, whose inventiveness helped make a success of the 2014 and 2017 Paddington Bear films.
“Wonka” is a musical drawn from the story first created by Roald Dahl with his 1964 novel “Charlie and The Chocolate Factory.” The better movie based on the book is director Mel Stuart’s 1971 picture with Gene Wilder, whose curmudgeonly performance represented a nifty coming together of character and characterization. Less entertaining to me is Tim Burton’s 2005 version, starring Johnny Depp.
Musicals were once easy-going hits for motion picture studios during the Golden Age Of Hollywood. They’re a tougher sell these days. Moviegoers have gotten much more literal, and the idea of characters spontaneously bursting into song while walking down the street is often laughed at, and not in a good way. Sometimes song-and-dance based films are downright rejected. Truth be told, without musicals, the world would be drearier than it can often be. I think the gold standard for Hollywood musicals is 1952’s “Singin’ In The Rain.”
It’s possibly unfair to compare King’s version to the other two Wonka movies because in reality, it’s a complete fantasy, a entirely new universe for which anything was possible. This clever conceptual interpretation is rooted in the imaginations of King and his co-screenwriter, Simon Farnaby. “Wonka” builds a new framework from those movies and reveals to us a young fellow on the cusp of chocolate greatness.
As the film opens, the Willy Wonka is completing an extended seagoing journey. He ends up in a place that feels right and proper regarding his goal of opening his own chocolate shop. The city is a fantastical blend of Paris, London and Vienna. It has a claim to celebrating chocolate and Wonka wants in on the action. He’s brought with him a gathering of rare flavorings, unique seasonings and bottled syrups.
Come up with the right combination of chocolate magic, and you might have people hovering playfully above the cityscape. His fanciful candies are a great treat for many. Wonka’s sweetly endearing mother died and left him all of the chocolate-making secrets that made her a joy to know and love in that precious way a good son loves his mother. In flashbacks, the wonderful actress Sally Hawkins, with a glorious twinkle in her eyes, encourages Willy to never lose sight of his dreams.
But Wonka’s road to success is clogged with dangerous lumps of very stale sugar in human form. There is a trio of evil chocolatiers (played by Mathew Baynton, Paterson Joseph and Matt Lucas), who have no interest in letting Wonka succeed. They will erect barriers and do whatever it takes to prevent him from owning his own chocolate factory. They’ve set a trap.
During this part of the adventure in the swirling world of chocolate, Willy has been imprisoned by Mrs. Scrubitt (Olivia Colman), the nasty innkeeper and her messy henchman Bleacher (Tom Davis). They’ve assisted in conjuring up a cruel scam forcing Willy to work in an oppressive clothes laundry. A big problem here is that he can’t read. But, this being a delightful fantasy film, the always friendly Wonka joins force with a smart orphan girl named Noodle (Calah Lane), who teaches him about the joy of books. He must learn how to read because, even though chocolate-making, singing and dancing are wonderful skillsets, reading is essential to being a successful businessman.
Visually, “Wonka” continues a superb run this awards season of beautiful-looking movies. Regarding cinematography, production values (sublime and surreal sets), extraordinary costuming, and hair and makeup, films look better than they have in years. Chung-hoon Chung is the director of photography for “Wonka.”
The movie’s music is excellent. The upbeat songs are by singer-songwriter Neil Hannon, the founder and frontman for the Northern Ireland pop group, The Divine Comedy. The film’s engaging score is composed by England-born Joby Talbot. The colorful, well-choreographed dance sequences are delightful, and the entire cast is up to the challenge of telling some of the story through song. Chalamet is a good singer and a terrific dancer.
The very well-acted “Wonka,” which is playing in theaters, has some nifty faces to enjoy and voices to hear, including Hugh Grant as an Oompa-Loompa, Keegan-Michael Key as the chocolate-loving chief of police, and Rowan Atkinson as a chocolate-addicted priest, who’s in league with the troublesome Chocolate Cartel. How the story plays out is as wonderfully entertaining as it should be and as you want it to be. It’s never bizarre, nor dour.
The goal of director King’s exuberant fantasy is to elicit joy. It succeeds in every way possible. Chalamet, whose acting talent seems to know no bounds, delivers sweet and endearing perfection. His enthusiasm engages the audience, all the while showcasing a beloved character with not only top-notch style, but also with flawless theatrical skill.
“Wonka” is a proper prequel for most children, as well as assuredly for adults who are young at heart. As the Paddington Bear films have shown previously, King has the knack for delivering happy results. He does it again.