Review: ‘Wonka’ is Wonderfully Amusing Enough

Another remake? Not quite. In this day and age, movie studios are pumping out remakes and sequels to beloved franchises, even when no one particularly asked for them. Upon hearing of Wonka, another movie inspired by Roald Dahl’s novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, some may wonder whether this film was worth making and worth watching. But, if you get Paul King to make it, the director of the beloved Paddington movies, get ready for a heartfelt movie full of family-friendly fun—and this is exactly what Wonka turns out to be. As long as people go into this film with room in their hearts for a fun (albeit slightly predictable) time, then they’re in for a treat.

Previously, there have been two film adaptations of Dahl’s cherished novel, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005). Both these films directly pull from the novel’s plot, following Charlie and the other kids who win trips to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, learning lessons in morality and honesty along the way. Wonka is a prequel to this story, telling the tale of how Willy Wonka comes to be the positively passionate, eccentric character he is.

The movie begins with Willy Wonka (Timothée Chalamet) moving to a new city as a poor young man excited to begin pursuing his dreams of opening a chocolate shop. However, things don’t go as planned and people aren’t as nice as he believes them to be. He falls into a debt to his landlord, Mrs. Scrubbit (Olivia Colman), and a Chocolate Cartel consisting of a corrupt policeman (Keegan-Michael Key) and a money-hungry chocolate shop owner (Paterson Joseph) who are out to stop him. Despite this unfortunate start, Willy never loses hope of selling chocolate. By getting help from others indebted with nothing to lose, Willy’s adventure of becoming a chocolatier also becomes one of spreading optimism and happiness to others.

What makes this story so charming is Chalamet’s performance as Willy. When the trailers for this movie first came out, the initial audience reaction to his acting was very mixed. Many people thought his lines were too stiff and had a forced humor to them. However, when these lines are seen in context with the movie, they sound natural and make total sense. Additionally, Chalamet’s delivery of these lines characterizes Willy through his intonation. From Willy’s confidence when he reveals his chocolates to a crowd, to adapting the delivery of Willy’s jokes to match other characters’ ups and downs, Chalamet proves he has the wit and whimsy to pull off a memorable Willy Wonka.

Another aspect making this an enjoyable watch is the numerous song and dance sequences. Although some of the songs may be less memorable and important than others, they’re not bad. Next to the full-scale dance numbers, however, we can see the effort and care that went into everything from choreography to set design. These big dances come with some catchy songs that get us smiling, vibrant colors and patterns everywhere, all which bring us into the joyful world of imagination inside Willy’s mind. These musical scenes are an entertaining way to drive the plot, in which it’s sometimes obvious what will happen next. Nevertheless, Wonka might not be an extraordinarily impressive feat in filmmaking, but it still makes for a heartwarming and sweet-as-chocolate two hours.

3.5/5 STARS

Review: ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ Powers Up to Mediocrity

Transitioning out of the superhero era of movie blockbusters, we look toward the muddied future of film and television to the next big thing: video game adaptations. Up till now there’s been a history of video game adaptations being less than stellar. Mortal Kombat, Assassin’s Creed, and the dozen or so Resident Evil adaptations have made a mess of the subgenre. Yet recently with things like Detective Pikachu, Sonic, and most impressively The Last of Us, the future for adaptations of this type doesn’t look so awful anymore. With the public realizing that these games aren’t just one note and brain rot, and might actually be filled with genuine characters, heartfelt stories, and room for enrichment in whatever media form they take, there is finally the space open for truly well-made and well-loved adaptations. The most recent take, and the step that will probably make video game adaptations become a regular thing now, is The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

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Review: ‘The Prom’ is a Superficial But Fun Way to End 2020

Hats off to Ryan Murphy: The man is consistently contradictory. Just a few weeks after his new show Ratched hit Netflix, his adaptation of the 2018 Broadway musical The Prom arrives to the platform gussied up in a technicolor version of the same worshipful high school nostalgia as Glee, and riddled with the same condescension toward “average” people that defined Nip/Tuck and The Politician. Continue reading “Review: ‘The Prom’ is a Superficial But Fun Way to End 2020” →

Review: ‘Playing With Fire’ is Not Fun For the Whole Family

One of the problems with family movies these days is that there’s too many that have nothing to offer. Andy Fickman’s Playing With Fire is exactly that – it’s ludicrously lazy with nothing to offer aside from cute kids and wasted talent. It’s a “family” movie in the same way that things like Paul Blart: Mall Cop and Daddy’s Home are – it’s a combination of common tropes found in family movies with absolutely zero of the authenticity and reliability of families that made a few hits in the genre stand out. For a good amount of its runtime, the film throws in a bunch of adult jokes that go over all the kids’ heads but make all the adults cringe – and that just adds to the film’s uninspired nature. Movies are able to overcome familiar frameworks, that of the “family” movie with adult jokes, if they offer up anything interesting like good acting or satisfying messages. Unfortunately, Playing With Fire doesn’t.

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Review: Shane Black Comedy Characterizes The Predator

With five films and 31 years under its belt, the Predator series is not only contains one of the most prolific movie monsters in cinema, but also a character that only seems to have been pulled off once. From Predator 2 to AvP to Predators, the series has yet to have another entry in the franchise as good as the first, but it’s 2018 and Shane Black is returning to the franchise he once acted in to take a crack at the infamous Predator. His efforts are not perfect, but the result is a humorous outing that embraces the pulp action from the 80s that the series is built on and includes a narrative that is as equally pulpy. 

While on a special ops mission, Quinn McKenna (Boyd Holbrook) witnesses a space ship crash land. There he finds Predator gear that he subsequently takes and sends home to prevent the government from laying claim to it. Having witnessed the crash, Quinn is detained and sent to looney bin where he meets Group 2, a five man team of former military operatives who are now on a mission to retrieve the alien gear all while the actual Predator, government, and a unknown third party try to get it first. 

In all of the franchise’s history, The Predator most closely aligns itself with Predator 2. It has a late 80s/ early 90s feel to it where action melds with a slightly bonkers premise. The narrative is definitely hitting baseline believability, always straddling the line of absurd and rational but walking the fence between the two precariously. While there are moments where that narrative can illicit scoff-inducing reactions, the film always manages to pull you back and remind you that this is supposed to be taken lightly. 

The film is an action comedy through and through, but it is the degree to which comedy overtakes the action that is surprising. Shane Black’s sharp witted humor that we’ve seen in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and The Nice Guys is all over this film. The repertoire between Group 2 is evoking the dude-bro military men from Predator, but this time with more banter and disorderly conduct. The result is action that is less serious than prior installments, but because it doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not, it works. Black’s humor pointedly characterizes the film, and anything less would have made the somewhat absurd plot look out of place. 

What is out of place is the barebones emotional elements between Quinn and his son Rory (Jacob Tremblay). Rory is a bullied kid on the autism spectrum and believes his dad isn’t proud of him because he always out doing military missions instead of being at home with his family. The motivations in the film lie in Quinn coming home to rescue and protect his son from the alien, but when it comes time to have any meaningful resolve, it’s clear that the film has other concerns it wants to focus on. Not to say action comedies need to have a strong emotional component, but the films that can execute on these aspects tend to be the better ones.

The Predator is not the serious action film some had hoped, but it is a stupid fun time. Whether it be the late 80s feel of a zany action film or Shane Black’s trademark humor, the overall package holds itself together long enough to just cross the finish line intact, even if the ending may go overboard. Come for the Predator, stay for the jokes and decent action. 

3/5 Stars