REVIEW: Wonka Is an Instant Classic
2 min read
By Cody Robb ’24
Ever since Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was written in 1964, it has become an immediate classic among families all around the world. So much so that 7 years after publishing, a film adaptation of the book was released in 1971 starring the late Gene Wilder as the eccentric chocolatier, Willy Wonka. Since then it has become an instant classic movie across generations, so much to the point where a reboot of the movie starring Johnny Depp was released in 2005 and as of recent, a prequel titled Wonka was released in December, loosely telling the story of how Willy Wonka got his starting based loosely on the book by Roald Dahl.
Directed by Paul King and starring Timothee Chalamet as a young Willy Wonka, this story is set 25 years before the events of the 1971 movie and tells the story of how Wonka became the chocolate maker people know him to be. Through the use of it’s bizarre storytelling and musical numbers, the film remains thoroughly entertaining and emotionally investing. With a star studded cast of actors such as Hugh Grant, Keegan Michael Key and Olivia Coleman, the movie really shines and these actors bring a level of emotion and humor to their characters.
For the first time in history since Dahl’s passing, the Dahl family has given Warner Bros permission to create a new Wonka movie that was new and not just a retelling of the original story or a reboot, which they did not have when making Johnny Depp’s adaptation. The movie manages to remain loyal to the original source material while also expanding on the story everyone knows and creates a whole new story that flows naturally and feels like it was always a part of the original story.
Overall this movie was a solid 10/10, an instant classic of a film. The cast shines in every scene they’re in, the humor isn’t forced upon the viewer and every joke and song flows naturally with each other. The only downside most people see is the movie’s lack of darker tones which the original film had but I see that as an upside for the prequel to not have any dark tones and allow it to be a happy, wholesome family movie.
