Trending
Now in its third rendition, the beloved Willy Wonka has returned to capture our imaginations once again. In the 2023 film, "Wonka," rated PG, we meet a young Willy Wonka (Timothée Chalamet) determined to make it as a chocolatier in a town that's just not big enough to hold his dreams.
We see into his childhood; catch a glimpse of how he came to know the Oompa Loompas and we watch as his dreams come to life -- only for them to be quashed by the villainous chocolate cartel.
That's right -- the chocolate cartel -- made up of Arthur Slugworth (Paterson Joseph) along with his two rivals Mr. Fickelgruber (Mathew Baynton) and Mr Prodnose (Matt Lucas), who are in cahoots with The Chief-Of-Police, (Keegan-Michael Key) Father Julius, (Rowan Atkinson) Bleacher, (Tom Davis ) and Mrs. Scrubitt (Mrs. Scrubitt) to run Wonka out of town.
I think it's fair to say that we see a different Willy Wonka than we have seen in previous films. In Mel Stuart's "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," (1971) Wonka is portrayed by Gene Wilder as an eccentric candymaker with a touch of evil that comes out at times.
In "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (2005), Wonka is portrayed as awkwardly childlike, almost psychotic at times -- we would expect no less from a Tim Burton film.
Chalamet's Wonka is ambitious, giddy and ready to take on the world. The anger toward children that was noticeable in the first two versions is not apparent in "Wonka."
In "Wonka," we learn the back story that leads up to the classic tale we are familiar with.
We see the story of when Wonka first encounters a not-so-friendly Oompa Loompa (Hugh Grant) who is determined to steal back enough chocolate to compensate for a cacao bean that Willy Wonka took from Loompaland in his childhood.
It would be difficult to choose a favorite of these films. It's not typically common for a remake (or even a prequel) to be as good as the original, but a good effort was made all around.
I had the pleasure of seeing "Wonka" at Miller Cinema recently. It can be seen this weekend at UEC Theatres 12 and College 9 Theatre in State College.
If you're looking for a night in to watch (or rewatch) the Gene Wilder or Johnny Depp versions and you're not lucky enough to still have a DVD player (or....gasp....VHS player), both versions are available to rent on Amazon Prime for about $3.50.
Run time: 1 hour, 56 minutes
Grade: A-