Wonka

Wonka, like the Paddington films is something special in its own right, a labour of love from a team who have spared no expense or effort to give us all a Christmas treat. So come along one and all, bring the grandparents or the grandkids.

At its best, “Wonka” can be melt-in-your-mouth fun, but what it lacks is weirdness — the very thing that made Dahl’s stories, and the earlier “Wonka” movies, so memorable.

It may have hijinks, tomfoolery and musical extravagance, but at its core, it’s as gooey as a marshmallow dipped in a chocolate fountain.



This has the warm, cosy sense of a film that, even with its few flaws, could very easily become regarded as a festive classic.

Wonka is carefully calibrated to bring joy. But do we want our joy to be something capable of being manipulated with buttons and knobs, with grand but somehow flat-looking sets?

Wonka is saccharine, yes, but if you’re going to indulge, it’s better to be in the hands of a master confectioner.

For a movie whose necessity was initially questionable, King and his team have once again shown that they shouldn’t be underestimated.

For decades, children around the world have loved Willy Wonka. And it makes perfect sense&#59; who wouldn't want to worship someone who peddles exclusively in making candy?

Chalamet tends to play more serious parts: young cannibal in love, legendary British king, meth addict. “Wonka” allows him to show off another side of his talent, scoring the golden ticket and a Golden Globe nomination.

Wonka serves just enough of its own brand of singing, dancing, chocolate-coated sweetness to effectively tell its story of a mildly eccentric candymaker with mommy issues taking on the corrupt bureaucracy of a city that runs on a candy economy.