4.5 out of 5 STARS
Wonka acts as a prequel to the much-loved Roald Dahl classic, ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’. It follows the plot of a poor young man named ‘Willy Wonka’ (Timothée Chalamet), whose ambitions as a chocolatier lead him to open a shop at ‘The Galéries Gourmet’ in Europe. However, after facing several setbacks and realising the industry is not what it seems, he faces many challenges that stand in the way of pursuing his dreams. Wonka encompasses all the feel-good aspects of a family film as it rediscovers a feeling of youthfulness and camaraderie that can be appreciated by all audiences.
Timothée Chalamet delivers an impressive performance as Willy Wonka offering an independent interpretation of the character than those of his predecessors, Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp. He conveys a feeling of warmth and passion to the role that adds comfort and authenticity to audiences. Another excellent casting decision was the character of ‘Noodle’ played by Calah Lane. This young actress made a very notable breakthrough performance in this film that will no doubt open up many opportunities for her in the future. She added a layer of sensitivity to her performance that displayed a very human portrayal of the character making her very relatable to the target audience. Hugh Grant, despite his limited screen time, was an excellent casting decision in the role of an ‘Oompa Loompa’. He provided comedic attributes to the film to keep the light-hearted nature throughout despite the more serious scenes and offered a sense of familiarity for the audience.
Paul King (director) clearly had a vision that was expressed clearly throughout in creating this magical world come to life. The cinematography in this feature was outstanding with the extensive technicolour palette being used to offer unique tones to portray this other-worldly and enchanting feeling to captivate audiences. The camera angles and movements were innovatively used but not to the extent that viewers couldn’t relate. The use of wide establishing shots emphasises the vast array of opportunities the world has to offer. There was a playful approach to the editing and CGI that was childish and youthful in nature. It was easily comprehendible and digested by audiences of all ages. An example of this is in the end sequence when the film appeals to older audiences owing to the extravagance of the aged historical architecture but tackles a youthful attitude when being drawn on to represent a childish whimsical dream and the imagination that can truly turn something simple into something magical.
This film completely achieves this, having large competition to live up to with the previous films from 1971 and 2005. However, it is very successful in taking a much-loved classic and turning it into something new and creative, evoking both a sense of nostalgia but also novelty to keep the audience entertained.
By Casey, Yr 13
Priory LSST, Lincoln