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Rating: Q=4, P=4 / Average OJ
Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3
Musical, Comedy, Family, Based on Book
I am a HUGE fan of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory from 1971, starring the incomparable Gene Wilder, so when I heard that there was going to be a prequel film about Willy, I was skeptical. With Timothee Chalamet? OK, I'm more interested... and other comedians I love (like Rich Fulcher and Keegan-Michael Key)? More interested... I always try to keep an open mind with any film, despite how difficult it seems to compare to another--after all, I firmly believe that each film stands on its own and is individual, and should be given a chance regardless if it is an adaptation or a reinterpretation. That being said, I liked Wonka. I liked it because it was cheerful, fun, and heart-warming. I liked it because it was an escape that I enjoyed being immersed in. I liked the winks and nods it gave to its predecessor and the music it made--it felt like a self-aware musical, with some of the numbers verging on parody. The cast and crew of Wonka knew what it was up against and didn't back down, in my opinion. If anything, they went all-out in full, Mel Brooks fashion. The writing was punchy and silly and zany, and I burst out laughing at a few gags and lines.
Of course, Timothee Chalamet is no Gene Wilder and his singing felt overly auto-tuned, but I believed that he could be a young Willy. Despite many reviews I read, I thought choosing to play him as an ultra-optimist with energy to spare fit perfectly. And the supporting cast felt like they were pulled directly out of a Roald Dahl book--extreme/one-dimensional characters worked here.
So, I was satisfied. Not epic or brilliant or particularly noteworthy, but very solid and fun. I will watch it again, for sure.
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