A Bitter Bite to Swallow: Wonka Review

Wonka, a bold take on the iconic chocolatier’s origin story, has left quite the pungent taste in critics’ mouths.

A Bitter Bite to Swallow: Wonka Review 3/5 🍫💫

From catchy musical segments to a playful performance from Willy himself, portrayed by Call Me By Your Name star Timothee Chalamet, the film’s major strengths hardly overshadow its evident downfalls.

The set production quality in Wonka, although a visual marvel, relies heavily on CGI to bring the sweet and salty magic to life. In terms of the positives, the elaborate and colorful sets, particularly with the chocolate factory, are incredibly detailed and inventive, showcasing a surreal and fantastical landscape.

From the iconic Chocolate Room with its edible delights to the quirky inventions throughout the factory, the production design brings creator Dahl’s vision to life in a vivid and captivating manner. Although the sets remain a testament to the creativity and artistry of the filmmakers of the original, it would have been interesting to see nods to the original means of portraying the chocolate-filled world, even if it meant sacrificing the efforts put into the film’s new locations.

Acting performances from Timothee Chalamet, Olivia Colman, and Keegan-Michael Key truly brought Wonka’s infectiously vibrant tone to life. Having to deal with the script’s lackluster nature, these actors made the best of the single-noted storyline and added nuance and funk to their characters. The story itself was quite the quirky adventure, but it lacked any sort of creative incentive for us, the audience, to root for these characters.

The Wonka film, despite its immense advertising efforts all over the globe, has merely left a bitter aftertaste on moviegoers’ tongues. Changing the recipe doesn’t always hurt, but it’s vital that those behind the final dish are experts in their craft. In this case, dessert ultimately fell short. Check, please!