If I’m going to be honest, I originally didn’t go to watch Wonka for the plot.
I originally went to watch Timothée Chalamet, who was the actor who portrayed Willy Wonka, who, let’s just say, I quite enjoy watching on the big screen.
However, my whole perspective on the film changed when the movie began.
Now, I have yet to watch the first two Willy Wonka movies, however, I know enough about the lore of the franchise to have a solid understanding of this movie. In the new Wonka, we can see how Willy starts off his career and the struggles he had to overcome to achieve his high stature in the chocolate world. Along the way, he has to defeat the evil chocolate mafia while also trying to pay the suspiciously high rent at a sketchy inn.
The one thing I did not know about the Willy Wonka movies was that they were all musicals. With that in mind, I was quite taken aback when the first words that came out of Chalamet’s mouth were in song.
While I was in shock, I truly enjoyed the music throughout. I was bobbing my head in my seat, and the songs are now all stuck in my head after leaving the theater. With that, the dance numbers accompanying the music were incredible. They all matched the tone of the plot moments and the songs, along with the overall vibe of the movie.
When it comes to casting, Chalamet was a perfect Wonka. His facial expressions and the way he spoke fit the personality of the Willy Wonka that everyone knows and loves. There is no other way to describe his personality in the film other than eclectic, and this translates well from the big screen to the audience. The only bone I have to pick is that I truly have a difficult time believing that this is the same Willy Wonka who would watch children drown in chocolate and not bat an eye.
Another character that I thought was cast perfectly was the Oompa Loompa as Hugh Grant. First off, watching a grown British man play a tiny orange guy with green hair was absolutely hilarious. His dry humor coupled with his catchy song and dance was the cherry on top of this comedic film. Moreover, Grant and Chalamet’s chemistry throughout the movie was top-tier. Their drastically-different personalities molded together seamlessly which resulted in a hilarious dynamic between the two characters.
There is one character, unfortunately, that I do not think lived up to their potential due to the poor casting. Noodle (Calah Lane) was Wonka’s companion he made at the inn. She had multiple outbursts and sentimental moments throughout the film, but it never did anything for me. Lane put little to no expression on her face. And while she may be a good singer, her acting is not up to par with the rest of the cast.
Another fantastic aspect of the movie was the sets. They were the perfect amount of colorless and colorful that matched the plot and characters with precision. I truly enjoyed this facet of the movie and believe that it helped to enhance the quality of the movie as a whole a great deal.
While I may not have gone to the movie for the plot at first, I definitely stayed for it. Wonka was an incredible film that lifted the spirits of everyone in the theater. Laughter filled the room as we all watched yet another fantastic addition to the Willy Wonka franchise.
