Many stories have been told and retold time after time. Sure, we have plays, books, songs, and television shows that are remade and reinterpreted. Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a popular children’s book from 1964.
It received a film adaptation in 1971 starring Gene Wilder as eccentric chocolatier businessman Willy Wonka. Dahl reportedly hated the movie and came to loath adapted versions of his books until he died in 1990. Three decades later, Tim Burton did a remake starring Johnny Depp as Wonka, and it proved to be a huge hit at the box office. A Broadway stage musical debuted in the 2010s to great success. Most recently, there are plans for Netflix to do an animated miniseries based on Dahl’s book. So it begs the question: what else is there to tell?
Perhaps the very beginning is the best place to tell another story. Wonka is the latest movie by director Paul King. It serves as a prequel story to the original novel and the 1971 film. Many people were skeptical as to the idea of a prequel because there isn’t much else ground to cover. However, it may surprise the reader to learn that Dahl had intended to explore Wonka’s backstory but never got around to it. With the help of co-writer Simon Farnaby, King aims to tell that story while paying tribute to the original book and the Gene Wilder movie. According to King, this is not intended to be a musical but rather “a movie with songs”.
Set twenty-some years before the original novel, the film focuses on young Willy Wonka, played by Timothee Chalamet, as he arrives in Europe to become a chocolatier. He dreams of opening his own confectionary store, but this proves to be a major challenge for him. Willy is imaginative and quite creative, but he’s naive, lacks street smarts, and is short of money. Being illiterate, he’s tricked into signing a contract by boardinghouse owner Mrs. Scrubbit (Olivia Colman) and must pay ten thousand sovereigns. Undaunted, Willy is determined to make money by inventing new types of chocolate to sell. This causes him to run afoul of three local chocolatiers- Arthur Slugworth (Paterson Joseph), Gerald Prodnose (Matt Lucas), and Felix Ficklegruber (Matthew Baynton)- known as the “Chocolate Cartel”, and they are opposed to having new competition. With the local Chief of Police (Keegan Michael-Key), the three resolve by any means necessary to force Willy out of business for good.
Upon running out of money, Willy is forced to work off his debt to Mrs. Scrubbit over a ten thousand-day period. He meets the other laundrette staff and learns they are also in debt of varying amounts. The group consists of former accountant Abacus Crunch (Jim Carter), Piper Benz (Natasha Rothwell), Lottie Bell (Rake Thakrar), and Larry Chucklesworth (Rich Fulcher). Another member of the team is an orphan girl Noodle (Calah Lane), who’s still grappling with not knowing who her parents were. Noodle’s only possession is a locket that she thinks offers a clue to her true parentage. She strikes up a friendship with Willy and helps him learn to read. They manage to find ways to sneak out and sell chocolate while trying to avoid being detected by Mrs. Scrubbit and her dimwitted suitor Mr. Bleacher (Tom Davis).
Willy’s backstory is slowly revealed in flashbacks, and the result is tragic is behold. Unlike the 2005 version showing a strict father as Willy’s Freudian excuse, there is a more heartbreaking explanation for how he came to be the way he is, and it is far more poignant. His late mother (Sally Hawkins) was his only family and his biggest supporter. Before her death, Willy hoped she would be with him to realize his dream of a confectionary store, but this would not come to pass for her. Making chocolate and opening the store is thus a way for Willy to connect to his mother. He also has a message she wrote to him covered in golden wrapping paper that has never been opened; this detail foreshadows what Willy will do later in the Golden Ticket contest.
Meanwhile, Willy has to contend with another problem: someone is stealing his supply of chocolate. The only clue he has to go on is that this individual is a diminutive man with an orange skin tone. With some clever planning, Willy discovers the thief is Lofty (Hugh Grant), an Oompa Loompa with a score to settle. It turns out that Willy stole cacao beans from Loompaland years ago, and Lofty was assigned to protect said beans. Disgraced in the eyes of his community, he has to recover the beans before he can return home. To make up for his mistake, Willy offers to help Lofty, but the Oompa Loompa ends up duping him and fleeing to never be seen again. Or so it seems.
Upon raising enough money, Willy and his fellow laundrette workers prepare to open a chocolate store. Now that they have a legitimate store, this means that neither the Chocolate Cartel nor the police can no longer touch them. Unknown to them, Slugworth is still planning to come up with a scheme to ruin Willy’s dream, and he envisions it will bring ruin and disgrace to the young man. However, Willy, Noodle, and friends can bring down the Chocolate Cartel, and it has to do with Slugworth’s ledger.
Timothee Chalamet delivers an endearing, charismatic performance as Willy. Having shot to fame at a young age, the actor has honed his craft in dramas (Call Me By Your Name), comedy (Don’t Look Up), and action-adventure epics (Dune). Chamalet manages to make Willy both likable and playful. He does manage to show the character’s intelligence and creativity, especially in devising and preparing various types of chocolate. Chalamet’s portrayal of Willy shows a gentle, empathetic side which is on display in his friendship with Noodle. Yet he also shows the character as being naive and easily trusting, which explains why he is so easily taken advantage of. The rest of the cast does admirably in their roles. Olivia Colman is perfectly cast as the antagonist Mrs. Scrubbit, and Tom Davis is hilarious as the non-too-bright yet thuggish Bleacher. As Noodle, Calah Lane proves herself to be a talented young actress, and her scenes opposite Chalamet are among the film’s highlights. Joseph, Lucas, and Baynton are in fine form as the devious Slugworth, Prodnose, and Fickelgruber, respectively. Beloved comedian Rowan Atkinson even pops up throughout the film as a timid parish priest who’s in league with the Chocolate Cartel, and he is a delight to see onscreen. While he may be older, the physical and facial expressions that Atkinson used to make Mr. Bean famous are still in fine form.
Of all the characters, one of the major selling points is Hugh Grant as Lofty. The idea of a famous British comedic actor playing an Oompa Loompa is quite hilarious. Straight-laced and sarcastic, Lofty proves to be a perfect vehicle for Grant to showcase his comedic wit. He manages to take himself seriously while playing a little man who breaks into song and dance. Through this performance, Grant continues to show why he is brilliant as a comedian. His argumentative banter with Chalet is one of the film’s highlights. While some little people are upset that the film doesn’t use an actor with dwarfism, it should be noted that Oompa Loompas are not meant to be dwarfs, but the backstory of Lofty being from a foreign country does bring to mind critics decrying colonial themes of Dahl’s book. Presumably, that is why this film does not show Willy bringing the Oompa Loompa population to work with him.
In terms of production, Wonka is a sight to behold. Cinematographer Chung Chung-hoon’s photography gives a rich, vibrant palette on which post-World War II Europe is recreated onscreen. Nathan Crowley’s production design focuses on keeping the film look realistic and futuristic at once. The result is something that looks retro and yet feels contemporary at the same time. Mark Everson’s editing helps keep the action at a brisk, steady pace, and the film never feels slow or bogged down at all.
The music is also a major part of what makes the film so delightful. Neil Hannon of the Divine Comedy band composed the original songs. The result is like something that would have emerged from a Dahl novel, particularly the workhouse-type anthem “Scrub Scrub.” As principal vocalist on the soundtrack, Chalamet proves that he is quite capable as a singer. Joby Talbot provides the movie’s score, which has both classical and modern influences. In keeping with the Wonka mythos, there are songs from the novel and Gene Wilder’s film incorporated into the plot. For example, the famous “Oompa Loompa Song” is performed with gusto by Grant, who’s giving it his all and having a blast. Of course, the fan favourite “Pure Imagination” from the original film is included as well.
Overall, Wonka is a delightful take on the Dahl character. Chalamet holds his own in the title role, and it is proof that he can carry a film on his own. Grant, Colman, Joseph, and Atkinson all turn in amusing performances. King’s direction is solid, and his and Farnaby’s script is full of wit and surprises. While the movie works as a standalone story, there remains a possibility of a sequel fleshing out the evolution of Willy and his chocolate empire. Four out of four stars.
