I don’t go to the cinema not nearly as much as I should. The past few times I have gone to see some heavy stuff. Some very good stuff, but heavy stuff. I didn’t know that deep down I was expecting Wonka to be the same; until they started singing and dancing. At this point, I thought to myself: “Oh yeah, this is a family musical.” Boy, did I have a lovely time watching this film.

Wonka tells the origin story of Willy Wonka and his chocolate factory. The film begins at the right time. We see Wonka after he has already spent years travelling the world searching for ingredients and inspiration for his chocolate and other sweet goods. Timothée Chalamet stars as the titular Wonka in a role that requires a lot of energy and eccentric-ness that must have been incredibly difficult to maintain. Chalamet effortlessly conducts himself as the wacky chocolatier before anyone knows who he is.

Wonka arrives in a city after the aforementioned travels and acquires accommodation in a grubby hotel run by two equally grubby owners (played by Tom Davis and Oscar-winner Olivia Colman). Wonka forges a friendship with all of the staff at the hotel and begins trying to make a name for himself in the confectionery world. These plans are soon interjected when rival chocolate makers come a-knocking. Played excellently by Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, and Mathew Baynton; Slugworth, Prodnose and Fickelgruber all unite in an attempt to get Wonka out of town. Employing the help of the bumbling Chief of Police (played by Keegan-Michael Key), their efforts prove more challenging than expected.

Coming from Paddington and Paddington 2 director Paul King, I had a fair idea going in what to expect. Wonka is nothing more than a heartwarming, quirky and entertaining film for the whole family to enjoy. There is a strange phenomenon when it comes to King’s films that I heard recently and agree with. With Paddington, Paddington 2, and now Wonka; King has a weird skill in making non-Christmas films feel like Christmas films. It’s not a criticism by any means but, strangely, there is a yuletide energy throughout.

While that isn’t a criticism, there are unfortunately one or two that I would like to address. The first is a character decision by someone in the film. Paddington actor Sally Hawkins makes a brief appearance as Willy’s mother in a couple of flashback sequences. While it doesn’t matter in the slightest where characters are from in this fantasy film, Hawkins gave her character an Irish accent. Being Irish, I found it hard to ignore. We don’t meet any other Irish character in the film with one and Chalamet speaks in his American accent. Hawkins, an English actor, has Irish roots but the choice to just do an Irish accent (and not a great one) was a pointless decision by whoever made the call.

I thought I had another criticism but no more have come to mind. How lovely is that? Overall, this is a joyous film to watch with friends and family alike. It is a completely harmless adventure with some great musical numbers and great performances from all involved. I give it 3/5.

That’s all I have for you today. Thank you for reading my review. I have been hammering away at it off and on since I have seen the film so that’s why it may feel disjointed at times. Go see Wonka though. You’ll have a nice time. Thank you again for reading and thank you for your time.