WONKA SHINES AS IT CAPTURES THE MAGIC OF THE ORIGINAL

Remakes and sequels seem to rule the Hollywood roost. An original movie rarely seems to be produced with a few exceptions. The other thing they try are prequels to tell the story of your favorite known stories so you can know how they got there. These can be dicey even with known franchises and a strong fanbase. Some see the Star Wars prequels as merely OK while some see them as very serviceable to the storyline. With the X-Men franchise they were able to be successful for the most part, but struggled a bit with where they were headed to. Remakes can be controversial in a whole new way. They usually ruin what was already a successful movie or storyline by trying to change it too much. In 1971 Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory came to the big screen to underwhelming results. The Gene Wilder movie became a hit when it was released to television and became a staple for viewers to wait for and watch once a year similar to The Wizard Of Oz. It is very much beloved as parents share it with their children and enjoy a family movie night. For some reason, Tim Burton thought the story needed an update and remake as only he could do it in 2005. With Johny Depp in the role as Wonka and going with the original name from the book putting Charlie back in the title, he made a movie that gave Willy more of a backstory, but it lacked the heart of the original. However, some standby the new one more than the original due to the fact that is the one they grew up on. Critics gave it a good score, but audiences did not like it as much overall, and it is usually scoffed at by true fans. So, could a prequel telling the story of Willy Wonka be pulled off for today’s audience? And which Wonka will we get as generations argue the better version?

Wonka, now streaming on HBO MAX and for purchase on Amazon Prime is the story of Willy Wonka before he became the world’s foremost chocolate maker. It doesn’t delve deep into his childhood, but it does give us a glimpse as to why he strives to be the best chocolate maker ever. Timothy Chalamet plays the lead that has completed his journeys around the world looking for the perfect ingredients for his chocolate and now wants to make his dream of making chocolate a reality. Unfortunately he has competition entrenched in the city he travels to in the form of a nemesis we recognize, Mr. Slugworth played by Paterson Joseph. He and his other chocolate makers try everything they can to stop Wonka and his attempt to bring his chocolate to the world. Along the way Willy makes friends with Noodle played by Calah Lane and a cast of misfits to help him bring down the Chocolate Cartel.

First, this Willy Wonka is based solely on the 1971 classic and the spirit that Gene Wilder brought to the character. Chalamet taps into Wilder’s essence and plays the character as he would have been before the stress of competition would have caused him to become even more eccentric and cynical. He has that mischievous charm without the feeling that he might snap at any moment. The film itself is fun and full of music. Like the original it has musical numbers and songs to sing along to. While they are not as catchy as the songs you grew up on they are reminiscent of the 1971 version and the soundtrack is at times laced with songs from that film. Wonka holds onto more of the magic and feels more like you’re watching a show on Broadway than on a screen. It gets more entrenched by having an Oompa Loompa show up in the form of a miniature CGI Hugh Grant who is much more refined than the other movies may have portrayed them. The acting throughout is fun and can be enjoyed by the whole family without any psychedelic boat rides, melting animatronics, naughty children, or scary dentist fathers and cage like braces. The jokes are fun and don’t go over your head. Was the film popular? The fact that it made over $600 million at the box office worldwide shows that people went out in droves to see it more than once and that it was widely accepted in other countries. For me, the best part was the fact that it didn’t leave any of the feeling behind that you were given as a kid. That magic still exists in the world and that good people will always rise to the top if they stay true to themselves. The world of pure imagination still exists if you only look for it.