‘Wonka’ review: A good movie from a bad idea
The practice of prequels rarely produces worthwhile results.
Nerdy aside: “Better Call Saul” and “The Godfather Part II,” while both brilliant, are technically both prequels AND sequels.
“Wonka” stems from a foolish idea by studio executives hoping to profit from easy nostalgia. Nobody really needs to know how Willy Wonka became a famous chocolate maker, do they? Well, “Wonka” answers that question and more, including how he came to partner with the Oompa Loompas.
While perhaps an unnecessary enterprise, “Wonka” nevertheless succeeds. Lavishly produced with a solid collection of old school song-and-dance numbers, “Wonka” demonstrates how good filmmakers with the right intentions can transform even the most shameless ideas into worthwhile entertainment.
The best decision of the film: Hiring Paul King to direct and co-write the project, who brings the same warmth and careful attention to story/character as he did with his “Paddington” films, including the critically beloved “Paddington 2” from 2017. The storybook quality of the production design and costumes echo the 1971 film, and the music by Joby Talbot and Neil Hannon evoke that movie without using the melodies as a crutch.
“Wonka” is more prequel to the Gene Wilder film than prequel to the Roald Dahl source material. With some exceptions, the new film breezes over some of the darker undertones in favor of more lighthearted conflict, though Olivia Colman portrays a deliciously nasty antagonist in Mrs. Scrubbitt, a tyrannical boarding house owner who quickly fools Timothée Chalamet’s idealistic chocolatier into indentured servitude.
Far less enigmatic than the Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp versions of the character, Chalamet’s Wonka charms the crowd with his eccentricities yet holds himself to a high moral standard, to the point where the town’s rival candymakers (referred collectively as the “Chocolate Cartel”) and the corrupt chief-of-police (a solidly funny Keegan-Michael Key) easily make ruin of Wonka’s modest goal to open his own candy shop.
The movie’s core relationship centers on Wonka and a young orphan (Calah Lane), with King and co-writer Simon Farnaby’s screenplay committing more time to mending each other’s personal tragedies (dead parents!).
Armed with strong reviews and audience exit polls, “Wonka” nevertheless has a divisive performance at its center, with some celebrating Chalamet’s bright, energetic performance while others wondering if the typically stoic actor was miscast in the role. Consider this review to be thoroughly on Team Chalamet. His Wonka is silly-but-earnest, and the “Call Me By Your Name” actor brings a necessary stillness to Wonka’s backstory that other actors might’ve obnoxiously portrayed as Capital T-Trauma.
An Oompa Loompa figures into the story here too, with Hugh Grant delivering a funny, brief turn as a (mild) adversary to Wonka. The digitally-enhanced effect to shrink Grant into the role teeters occasionally into creepy, CGI-uncanny-valley territory, but King and the filmmakers tap into that discomfort to serve the relationship dynamic.
As for the music, “Wonka” knows it probably can’t top the original’s “Pure Imagination,” and so that song gets deployed in subtle, effective ways in the background of the score before making a triumphant return near the end. The new songs are catchy enough, and every sequence is elevated by strong dance choreography, clean camerawork and rhythmic editing.
In short, “Wonka” puts on an old-fashioned show, focuses on character, and tells a story that doesn’t rely on making constant references to the 1971 classic. “Wonka” is the best version of itself given its corporate-minded original intentions.
• • •
Tyler Wilson can be reached at twilson@cdapress.com.