Wonka (2023)

Timothée Chalamet's subtle but heartfelt performance of a young Wonka helped to offset the depressingly intriguing world of this prequel. Willy is a mysterious and flamboyant character, disconnected from the harshness of reality by the magic of a childhood dream, which matches the subtle facial expressions he uses, per the (stellar) acting direction. The notes of nostalgia and whimsy make this a 10/10!
The musical score is something else as well, with sound effects and subtle humor mixed into nearly every song, background or not. The music alone gives this movie re-watch value.

The opening bars of "Pure Imagination" give us a clue as to what's coming next, and for the most part it's a strong testament to the engaging and charismatic man playing the eponymous chocolatier. He arrives is a town controlled by a chocolate cartel that is determined to use any means possible to ensure he can't fulfil his dream. That dream? Well ever since he was a child, he has wanted to make chocolate as well as his mother (Sally Hawkins). To do that, though, he needs a shop - and without a silver sovereign to his name that's not going to happen. It's winter, so his first order of business is somewhere to sleep. Luckily (?!?) "Bleacher" (Tom Davis) finds him on a cold bench and takes him to the welcoming arms of "Mrs. Scrubbit" (Olivia Colman) who offers him a bed for the night, though pretty soon he realises it's more of a bed in return for a life of indentured laundry servitude. Still, he's ingenious and he doesn't lose sight of his goal, so together with his fellow inmate "Noodle" (Calah Lane) and book-keeper "Abacus Crunch" (Jim Carter) they concoct a plan to addict the population to the young man's sweets whilst bringing down the evil trio of truffle terrorisers and ensuring "Scrubbit" and "Bleacher' get their comeuppance too!. Meantime "Wonka" has other problem. Someone is pinching his product! An elaborate trap and a large jar introduce us to a tiny "Oompa-Loompa" (Hugh Grant) who looks like he's spent way too long on the sun-bed. With his own debt to pay, the two agree an alliance that - well we all know what happens to that. It's a little over-choreographed, I think, and the original songs are not especially memorable, but it doesn't hang about and there's no doubting that Chalamet is enjoying himself, and that's a little bit contagious and we head to a denouement that takes fondue to a ridiculous level... It features a strong and well matched ensemble cast and though maybe a little too long, I did enjoy it.