By Cat Kemp
Whimsical, absolutely; whimsical to a fault, I think so. Different from previous Willy Wonka adaptations, Timotteé Chalamet’s version attempted to create a backstory to the 1971 Jean Wilder version of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.
The story follows a young entrepreneurial Willy Wonka post losing his mother and spending all of his money within the first day of being on his own. Facing financial strain and coercion from Mrs. Scrubitt’s boarding house and her henchman Bleacher, Wonka unwittingly signs a binding contract due to illiteracy. Tricked into a life of servitude for over ten years, Wonka must become an extremely successful chocolatier in order to free himself in addition to the five entrapped others he meets. Of the five others, Wonka finds companionship with Noodle—an orphan who, as a baby, fell into the slimy hands of Mrs. Scrubbit.
Additionally working against the “chocolate cartel” of the three main chocolate sellers, Wonka has to act against bribery of the police and purposeful suppression of the unique chocolatier’s sales.
From the same creator as Paddington, I expected a lot more. Wonka expressed the difficulties of achieving the American dream whilst working against the police, church, and the wealthy: an adequate yet elementary theme. For a children’s movie, a complex theme is appreciated under a simple childlike lens, however Wonka’s uncomplicated idea’s leave an older audience unsatisfied. The idea that a poor man becomes rich through hard work and innovation is nothing new, and Wonka fails to bring a unique interpretation or addition to this time-honored theme.
At a basic level, the movie was good. The songs were enticing and catchy, however the blaring autotune destroyed the magic for me. The quirkiness of Wilder’s Wonka was shown through random eccentric moments rather than well-placed comedic relief. The movie was still cute, with a good cast and some catchy moments, but overall the intended enticement was lost on me.