Wonka - Movie Review

Paul King’s ‘Wonka’ shows us the origin story of the young and enthusiastic chocolatier Willy Wonka. The plot of the film describes Wonka’s reckless adventure of wanting to upset the cartel of selfish chocolate tycoons. Filled with dreams of opening a chocolate shop of his own, young Wonka – a character of challenges and hybrids, stands against all odds achieving his dreams of a confectionery business.

Packed with themes of social satire such as greed and materialism, Wonka accentuates social justice with strokes of surreal whimsy fantasy. It has a hint of magical realism because the film mixes humor with the character’s self-reflection and focuses on the protagonists’ ability to never give up on their inventions. There is a subversive appeal to this imagining of a young and idealistic Willy Wonka up against corporate greed; a complexity to this interpretation. Alongside an interesting list of inventions, each actor contributes greatly to the liveliness and splashes color into the plot. When partnered with other actors such as Calah Lane, Chalamet soon draws palpable energy which builds up the film’s charm and a semblance of realism.

Paul King’s direction of the whole film provides viewers with a fine sense of imaginative and thrilling world based on Roald Dahl as directly and inappositely as is plausible. Every shot reflects King’s vision of a familiar character but seen under a new light; the audiences are offered a journey of discovering a hero all over again.

The music chosen is also most suiting for the film as the scores are magical, catchy and lyrically nostalgic. All of the melodies and songs used throughout in the movie add value to its plot as they help understand the character’s feelings and actions better.

Cinematographer effectively turns the environment of the movie into a land of fairy-tale by using bright colors and active camera positions. This adds to the plot and also to the aesthetic of the motion picture, as they depict Wonka’s undiscovered world at levels, both blasphemous and brilliant. Ranging from hilarious chocolate-making machinery to Romanticized city sculptures, the asthetics lie at the very foundation of the film’s quirkiness while retaining strick reality.

Special effects are used when and where they are needed, which makes them not only perfect, but much more believable. I never found myself taken out of the increasingly strange reality of the story by them, and they always feel like they only enhance the aspect of magical realism which the movie brings.

The flow of the film is smooth and directs the viewer through the shifts of tones and subject of the film. Both pacing in action and in thought does not drag and the shifts from one to another are natural and serve a purpose.

‘Wonka’ is a sweet mix of how not only the action can be fast-paced, but also the internal reflection phase. The tempo is not monotonous but effective to give audiences a balance of both adventure and emotions of a flawed character.

Dialogues in ‘Wonka’ are lively and biting, driving the plot forward while airing the eccentricity of Willy Wonka. Dialogues are filled with laughter and wisdom, that correlates with the nature of the magical world shown in the film.

Despite the numerous strengths that ‘Wonka’ embraces, in some of the scenes and at times throughout its entire length, the film stumbles on its complex layers of plots mostly focusing on the vastness rather than the depth. The mentioned themes form a big picture that could be disclosed deeper and richer to reveal the most of the narrative potential inherent in the story. Timothée Chalamet’s charming interpretation brings freshness into a recognizable role; Paul King gives the audiences a fresh origin story with the blend of warmth and wonder. Encouraging and amusing, it is also delightful and utterly creative — easily digested like a sweet candy movie.