Please, don't make me say that again."
Isn't that a perfect opening line for this post? Good day, film lovers! Today I just went to the cinema and scratched another movie from my To-Watch list that I put in My 2023 Cinematic Carousel: Hits, Misses and Question Marks. You've probably knew since the quote. You guessed it right! It's Wonka (2023), directed by Paul King.
This movie played as a prequel of the 2 existing iconic movies; Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005). I know. That's a lot of chocolate right?
I was pretty much growing up with "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". I love it so much that I knew all the lines of it as I rewatched it again and again. It's that family movie that is always so vibrant and brings me joy every time I watch it.
Whereas, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is something I just watched recently. Even though, the movie was out before I was born. I find this one creepier and with the CGI was still weird here and there. I wasn't excited as much.
When I saw the new Wonka (2023), Truthfully, I was neither excited nor expecting anything. I was more curious about how the movie was gonna play out and as a prequel, if it would fit the other two. So, I went to the cinema with my friends and found out.
Now, let's start with
Indeed the story is different from those two, as it lets us explore the journey of the young and poor Willy Wonka (played by Timoth茅e Chalamet) and how he first opened a chocolate store in Galeries Gourmet. He had traveled all around the world and collected all the best ingredients. With a promise, he made with his late mom to share his chocolate with the world.
Unfortunately, being a new kid in town, Wonka got scammed into working labor hours for Mrs. Scrubitt's (played by Olivia Colman) laundry shop. With the help of a good friend, Noodle (played by Calah Lane) (And yes guys! Noodle like me 馃槅), Wonka managed to sneak out and sell his chocolates in the most fantastic way, magic.
However, the path to becoming Galeries Gourmet's new chocolatier wasn't a piece of chocolate 馃槀, Wonka was faced by the city's chocolate cartel: Slugworth (played by Paterson Joseph), Fickelgruber (played by Mathew Baynton) and Prodnose (played by Matt Lucas). They bribed the chief of police (played by Keegan-Michael Key) with chocolates to keep Wonka out of the game.
(鈿狅笍Mild Spoiler here 鈿狅笍) With the help of his 4 laundry worker friends: the accountant, the sewer lady, the comedian, and the call-center lady, Wonka collected enough money and opened the shop. However, luck wasn't on his side and the cartel spoiled all of Wonka's chocolate and completely ruined the opening day.
鈿狅笍 Spoilers Alert! 鈿狅笍
Please skip the next paragraph (and continue on the Review and the Reflection part),
if you want to steer clear of spoilers.
! [Hidden Spoiler nr1 of Wonka] Losing all hope with the chocolate shop, Wonka made a deal with the cartel to pay for all his friends' debt, in return, he must never come back to the city, nor make any chocolate ever. As he desperately left the city, Wonka realized something wrong was up and decided to go back. Just in time, before his boat got blown up.
! [Hidden Spoiler nr2 of Wonka] Wonka gathered all his friends, rescued the captured Noodle, and went back to the cartel's hidden lair to take out the dirty evidence and expose the cartel. He and Noodle almost drown in the pool of Chocolate, but the Oompa Loompa (played by Hugh Grant), who was stalking Wonka all along, saved them by the bell. Wonka got out with the accounting book he needed and exposed all the bad schemes. They were put in jail and Wonka finally followed his dream and the promise he made with his mom.
Now it's time for...
It's truly a kids-friendly family movie. The movie is filled with all the key elements of children's entertainment. The colorful set and color scheme throughout the movie. Multiple catchy songs with the whole dance crew musical numbers. the storyline that's not complicated to follow. And the diverse and funny characters, who all add comedic flavorful bits in almost every scene of the movie.
Do I personally like the cast? The honest answer would be /myeh/. I find myself couldn't truly enjoy both Chalamet and Lane as 2 main characters. Chalamet's Wonka is portrayed as someone ambitious and talented. I won't deny that, but it's more Wonka as a magician and a pocket-full-of ingredients holder. I would prefer Wonka to be a talented chocolatier and really see how he made the chocolate more. Chalamet's singing and dancing were not bad. It just didn't wow me as I hoped it would.
For Noodle, other than the excitement of sharing the same name. I think her character was added for diversity purposes. I didn't see much of the chemistry between Chalamet and Lane as the story played out to be. The movie kinda made her "the brain of the operation", but still she didn't do much. Most of the ideas were Wonka's anyway. So I was like heh. Disappointed. On the contrary, I really enjoyed most of the supporting characters. They made the most out of their air-time and boy was I entertained! Great job!
Here comes...
The most meaningful quote that truly inspired me from the movie is when Wonka's mom told young boy Willy Wonka that
So you hold on to yours."
The theme of "following your dream" is undeniably screaming on the top of this movie('s lungs), as we follow Wonka chasing his dream, getting it crushed, and learning to get back up again. It always sounded so clich茅, but I think in reality of maturity, it's very easy to forget the inner child in ourselves. Lots of time, I see many people are frustrated because of unfulfilled needs from childhood trauma. One of the most common things is giving up your dream. Sadly, most of the time, these aren't getting acknowledged enough.
Not fully understanding your inner child and not being aware of how that affects your adulthood are things that lots of people suffer from. For me, I tried not to fall into that pit, but it was not easy. I find that it takes time and courage to talk to your inner child and be realistic about what young me and old me are going through.
Showing me how a dry and lack of imagination adulthood can be
I might not have all my life figured out yet, but I still cherish the inner child and the dream within me. I reflected that reality kept my body alive and my dream kept my heart beating. I hope one day I don't have to be in the position of pick one and discard one. So until then, I want to live my best life juggling dreams and reality in the best and least chaotic way possible.
PS. All the official movie photos are from source
My #nomnommovie review post for today has ended. Fresh feeling after watching it, so it might be a little unorganized, but I do hope you're still with me here, just leave the comments to let me know or discuss film theory with me. Til next time...
Let's stay supportive of the entertainment industry and keep watching great movies, guys
Khob khun kaa,
Nomnomnoodle 馃崪
