Wonka - Review

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

PAUL King attempts to bring the same kind of heart-warming sweetness he injected into his Paddington movies to this look at the origins of Willy Wonka, the Roald Dahl favourite who has already inspired two Chocolate Factory-based films. But while colourful to look at and consistently endearing, Wonka lacks the overall magic of Paddington 2.

Timothée Chalamet plays the central hero, tasked with stepping into the shoes and wearing the hat once donned by Gene Wilder (1971) and Johnny Depp (2005). And his portrayal of the character is arguably the most jovial of the lot, certainly eschewing the oddball eccentricity and slightly sinister overtones leant to the character by Depp in Tim Burton's take, while also investing him with more heart and charm than even Dahl did in book form.

As such, Chalamet's take on Wonka taps more into the sweet-hearted nature of Paddington than anything else, which imbues the film with an easy-going charm whenever he is on-screen. It's just that you can have too much of a nice thing at times - and Wonka's relentless pursuit of the sugar rush sensation that accompanies so many of his creations can become a little tiresome - whether it's via the sheer number of song and dance routines, or just the insatiable positivity or OTT energy that infuses most of the supporting performances.

The story finds wide-eyed former sailor Willy Wonka (Chalamet) attempting to launch his own chocolate shop but finding all sorts of obstacles in his way. First and foremost, there's the sinister hotelier Mrs Scrubbit (Olivia Colman) who, together with her henchman Bleacher (Tom Davis), trick Wonka into years of forced labour in their laundry, where he promptly meets resourceful orphan Noodle (Calah Lane) and a quartet of fellow labourers, including Jim Carter's wily accountant, Abacus Crunch.

But there's also direct opposition from rival chocolate cartel trio Slugworth (Paterson Joseph), Fickelgruber (Matthew Baynton) and Prodnose (Matt Lucas), who have a corrupt cop (Keegan Michael Key) and a dubious priest (Rowan Atkinson's Father Julius) in their midst, doing everything in their power to put a stop to Wonka's ambitions.

And there's also a rogue Oompa-Loompa (Hugh Grant) named Lofty to contend with, who has his own reasons for wanting to reclaim some of Willy's prized ingredients. King's film works overtime in affording so many characters the chance to shine - yet he provides each of his performers with the space to do so, enabling them to deliver pantomime-style caricatures that make most of them larger than life.

In some cases, this delivers some of the film's biggest delights - most notably, Grant's mischievous Oompa-Loompa, who steals every scene that he's in (despite their being precious few of them), as well as allowing Colman to showboat as only Colman can. Atkinson is also able to bring some Blackadder-style scheming to his priest.

Chalamet's endearing positivity, coupled with a nice line in naivety, also keeps his central character easy to root for and likeable throughout, while Calah Lane offers eye-catching support as the plucky Noodle - the two of them creating the most genuinely endearing relationship in the entire film.

Even the songs, penned by The Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon, have a catchy quality that, while perhaps not as memorable as intended, certainly don't grate too much either (despite hitting a lot of the same notes).

Yet while there's plenty to like about King's film, there's something missing too - it's just too sugary, to the point that it can feel a little sickly. There's a lack of genuine depth, which feels like something of a missed opportunity.

King's Paddington films (and especially its much-loved sequel) positively radiated heart and soul. Wonka feels more manufactured and more like a franchise piece.

Perhaps this is down to the sheer proliferation of characters, or the need to have turned it into a musical, which lends it more bombast and spectacle than it perhaps needed, often at the expense of quieter moments. But it means that the film runs out of steam, despite clocking in at a little under two hours.

It's tasty, for sure, yet it's nowhere near as nourishing as it perhaps ought to have been.