Ever since it was announced that Timothee Chalamet would be the next man tasked with the job of portraying unarguably the most iconic chocolatier of all time, anticipation and excitement for Paul King's 'Wonka' had been building all the way until it's ineviable Christmas time release.
Only two men have been given the job of portraying a live-action version of Willy Wonka in the past, and those men go by the name of Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp. So it's fair to say that the young American-French actor had his work cut out for him before he even entered the wild world of Willy Wonka and his chocolate-making lifestyle.
If there was ever a person that you could envisage would be perfect for writing and directing a movie, it would be Paul King for Wonka. Of course, some of us may recognise the English filmmaker for the work he did on the two Paddington movies just a few years ago.
And following the immense success of those two films, I wouldn't be surprised if the execuive heads at Warner Brothers essenially said to King, 'Do that again, but with more chocolate'. And that is essenially what this film is.
Not to say that 'Wonka' doesn't have a theme of it's own, as well as a unique storyline and different moral messages, because it certainly does, but if you look closely, there are traces of Paddington scattered throughout.
'Wonka' essentially ticks every box that you could ask of it before viewing. It possesses an entertaining and unique storyline, encaptures the original essence of Willy Wonka's we have witnessed in the past, contains humour within a storyline that provokes drama and is suitable for both children and adults.
I must say that before entering the cinema, I did have doubts that the comedy within this film would be found too 'childish' and inappropriate for adult audience members. But it didn't take long for me to realise that this certainly was not the case.
Chalamet not only does an excellen job of headlining the comedic act of Willy Wonka, but also delivers and overperforms on all fronts of the character. Making audiences laugh is only something we have experienced the actor do in Adam McKay's 'Don't Look Up', but experiencing Chalamet be funny and sing in the same performance is showcasing his abilities to a whole new level.
I did have concerns that Chalamet would disappoint his predecessors and fail to fully commit to the insanity and craziness that comes with Willy Wonka, but not long into the film's duration my concerns were put to rest as Chalamet undoubtedly does the character justice.
As a quick disclaimer - this movie is in fact a musical.
Although it may not seem like it from the outside looking in, but this film begins with a song and ends with a song. There are also a bunch of songs scattered throughout it.
With me being a fan of musicals, this was no problem at all. I felt it was brave and unique for King to go down a route that showcases a different side to the Wonka franchise, certainly a risk that seems to have paid off.
With musicals these days, it can be difficult for actors to transition between dialogue and song without making it awkward and cringeworthy. But I feel as though the case of the film did an excellent job or preventing this from happening in this movie, as the songs were enjoyable and entertaining throughout.
'Wonka' is certainly a new and exciting addition to the crazy and intriguing mind of Roald Dahl and without a doubt opens up so many more doors of possibitliy for future content creation.
Overall Rating: 8/10
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