The new film “Wonka”, which came out Dec. 15, has multiple themes including the message to always follow your dreams despite the trials and tribulations. Yet, it still presents it in a light-hearted, innocent way. Timothee Chalamet takes the starring role of Willy Wonka. It is different from other films he’s acted in, yet this role suited him well.
“Wonka” is a musical prequel to the classic film “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” (1971). It tells the origin story of young Willy Wonka before he became the famous chocolate maker in Roald Dahl’s classic books. In the film, Willy is a young man who is dreaming of opening a chocolate shop. He travels to an unnamed western European town and is completely determined to have his promise that he made to his mother to share his chocolate to the world come true.
He runs into trouble with three prominent chocolatiers who don’t like competition and are quick to destroy Wonka’s ambitious dreams. Yet, the chocolate cartel doesn’t end up being his biggest nemesis, including the sneaky Oompa Loompa who had been stealing all his chocolate.
“Wonka” is a fast-paced musical due to several singing and dancing numbers. This made Chalamet a good fit for this role because he used to do theater in high school. It was fun to see him sing and dance, especially since most of his other roles have been serious.
Even though this movie’s main plot is about Wonka’s journey to opening a chocolate shop, the film has a side plot where he gets into trouble just because he can’t read. It almost gave the essence of a different movie as it doesn’t seem like something that would fit into “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” But, it’s sort of a fresh start for Wonka that doesn’t need to owe anything to the previous film adaptations or novel.
A couple of my favorite parts of the film are when it focuses on the evil chocolate cartel who try to stop Wonka’s dream, as well as how Wonka has magic in his chocolate. He would make chocolate where if you sample his sweets, people could have any dream become a reality.
In this movie, a young black girl whose name is Noodle (played by Calah Lane) was treated badly by the people she stayed with. This goes with the theme of abuse due to her being treated poorly by her care-takers and having to do all the work around the building. She would also be punished if she didn’t follow the rules. This subplot, as well as Wonka’s illiteracy, added more serious tones to an otherwise lighthearted film.
All in all, it still gave the colorful, magical vibe that Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has, but with a more modern approach. In this movie, even though it is a prequel, you don’t need to watch any of the other movies first.
