It took me a few weeks to finally see this movie in the cinemas, so by that point, I had heard mostly positive reviews about this film and how charming everything was. So naturally, I was hoping for a lovely, charming and joyfully magical movie and what I got was that, but… Wonka is one of those movies where the pieces of the puzzle are better than the overall picture the puzzle creates, as ultimately, your enjoyment will correlate with whether or not you can feel the magic. And I never could.

I don’t think it was due to any preconceived bias. For example, I didn’t grow up with Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971); I didn’t see that movie until about 2018 if I remember correctly. I grew up with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), but even that movie was always one I liked, not loved. I have also never read the book these are all based on, so when I went to see Wonka, I was ready to love it, enjoy my time and be charmed. And the movie definitely isn’t bad by any means.

The biggest reason to see this film must be Timothée Chalamet. Given my history with this “franchise”, I wasn’t against him (I remember some people were not happy when he was announced); I hoped he would be at least decent. To my surprise, he was a clear standout. Sure, it’s easy to stand out if you are the leading performer. But still, he had the charisma and the naivete about this world, but most importantly, you believe him when he suddenly does something magical or impossible. It’s hard to do impossible stuff within semi-real-world boundaries and get away with it, and he did. I think the reason for that was his character always acts nonchalant about all the magic. For him, that magic is the norm. He is quirky and doesn’t find it peculiar that he travels with a pretty much chocolate factory in his suitcase because that is just his reality.

I was confused that some people were calling out his performance for being too cutesy and that he wasn’t as cynical as the legendary Gene Wilder. And those are the moments I can’t even with some people as the obvious answer is he wasn’t supposed to be cynical. Even I, who has never read the book, understood that this was Wonka at the very beginning of his journey. Back when he was young, full of hope, optimism and joy. It would make zero sense for this young guy to be grumpy, cynical or disillusioned with the world as for his older character to make any sense, he must start from this place. You can even see it in the original movie, where Wonka has that magic and charm about him, but his life and everything that happened to him led him to be this cynical. The point of this paragraph is if you hear a critique of Chalamet’s performance and someone refers to Gene’s performance as to why, you know you don’t have to listen to them. 😉

Back to the movie, everything else has also worked. I thought Olivia Colman was the other obvious standout, as she is funny and hams it up in her role. I liked the decision to have Noodle (Calah Lane‘s character) as almost a younger sister character rather than casting someone older for a potential love interest. Not every story needs one, and this was a perfect example of something the filmmakers did perfectly; plus, I enjoyed the chemistry between Wonka and Noodle. They were the heart of the movie. The rest of the supporting cast was great; everyone from Keegan-Michael Key to Jim Carter was perfect in their roles.

I also didn’t mind it was a musical. I know there has been a lot of controversy about the promotion of this movie and how many went into it, NOT knowing this was a musical (because of some study…?). I didn’t mind it, even though I wasn’t sure whether it added anything to the film. I thought the songs were cute, but honestly, I can’t remember any single one now, and I have only been removed a few weeks from watching this movie. There are many musicals I have seen only once, some time ago, and I still remember quite a few songs (The Greatest Showman (2017) is my example). So, even though I didn’t mind it, it did very little for me.

But, where the cookie crumbled was the “mood” of the film. For you to enjoy Wonka, you must feel that magic. You should feel like you are part of that world where everyone is vaguely British (except for a few characters), magic is (kind of) real, and chocolate solves all your problems. From reading other people’s thoughts and discussing this movie, I understand I am in the minority here, so this is truly a “me issue”, but I have never felt that magic. I enjoyed this movie and all the individual pieces of it, but when I reflected on my experience later on, I found myself feeling empty, almost indifferent. The best way to describe it is that I never got into that world; it felt like everyone was invited to this magical party, and my invite got lost in the mail.

And I apologise because I try hard not to do what I am about to do, but I didn’t feel “it”. In all of my reviews, when I give a movie a bad or an average rating, I usually have a few reasons for it. But with Wonka, besides not feeling “that magic” and “songs didn’t do much for me”, I have nothing else. I feel a bit weird because my rating may ultimately seem a bit harsh, but I assure you, this is how I feel now about this movie. To buy into this world and get immersed in it, you must feel that levity that magic. That is something both Paddington movies had (my reviews for both movies can be found here and here). For me, that something was missing for me.

I know I have said this for many movies of 2023, but Wonka will be a fascinating rewatch because I get that I am in the minority, and many have enjoyed this movie much more. I wonder how well (or not) this will play the next time I watch it and whether anything will change for me. Only time will tell, but I promise, if I rewatch it and suddenly like or even love this movie, I will release a different review, something I have never done and will go on record about it.

Overall, Wonka is a charming movie that has everything going for it. From an excellent lead performer to a great cast of supporting actors, this movie shines. Where it lost me was that I never felt that magic come through the screen and charm me with it. It was missing that “it” factor I usually feel while watching many delightful movies, big and small, but for whatever reason, Wonka did not have it. But, what might be a rarity, I would still recommend this film as I understand the majority of people enjoyed this movie. So, despite my average rating, if you liked the Paddington films, you may end up liking this movie too.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke