“Wonka” shows us how the Candy Man became the Candy Man. There’s no use competing with Gene Wilder’s interpretation of the character, but Timothee Chalamet does an admirable job of giving us a Willy Wonka became Willy Wonka in this colorful and occasionally heartfelt prequel.
“Wonka” begins with the titular character arriving in a European city of sorts, desperate to sell his new chocolate. He’s without a home at first until he gets a room at a boarding house run by Mrs. Scrubitt (Olivia Colman) and her right-hand man Bleacher (Tom Davis).
Wonka is forced to work in the boarding house to pay off his debts for staying there, and he’s introduced to a series of individuals who are there for similar reasons. One of them is an orphan named Noodle (Calah Lane). Together the two devise a plan to escape to the house with the others.
If battling Mrs. Scrubitt and Bleacher wasn’t enough, Wonka comes face to face with three other chocolatiers in the form of Mr. Slugworth (Paterson Joseph), Mr. Prodnose (Matt Lucas), and Mr. Ficklegruber (Mathew Boynton). They’re greedy corporate businessmen who want Wonka out of the game.
“Wonka” was directed by Paul King, who made the Paddington movies. He gives Willy Wonka’s origin story an entertaining, bright, and magnetic presence in the first half, but the second half is where things slow down and introduce a few too many plot machinations that only work in starts and fits.
Instead of trying something whimsical, the movie resorts to standard action movie fare, with Wonka having to turn into a special effects extravaganza. The film is certainly technically impressive and oftentimes beautiful to look at with a charismatic star center, but I think the movie’s true hope was lost somewhere along the way.
There are good performances besides Chalamet’s to drive the train home, such as Keegan Michael-Key as a Chief of Police, Rowan Atkinson as a chocolate-loving priest, and Hugh Grant as an Oompa Loompa. Yes, some of the classic numbers from the original are regurgitated here by Grant, and he brings a quirky presence that fits when he’s on screen.
Wonka is thankfully restrained when it comes to nostalgia overload, but there’s just enough for Wilder fans to appreciate, and the finale does have some heart and soul.
“Wonka” may not quite hit the sweet spot as much as it wants to, but it’s a decent holiday treat.
Grade: B
(Rated PG for some violence, mild language and thematic elements.)
