WONKA - The Popcorn Junkies Movie Review

Wonka is a 2023 musical fantasy film directed by Paul King, who co-wrote the screenplay with Simon Farnaby based on a story by King. It tells the origin story of Willy Wonka, a character in the 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, featuring his early days as a chocolatier. The film stars Timothée Chalamet in the title role and an ensemble cast including Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Carter, Natasha Rothwell, Olivia Colman, and Hugh Grant. It is the third live-action film based on Dahl's novel, following Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005). Development began after Warner Bros. Pictures reacquired the rights to the character in October 2016 and announced that the film would serve as an origin story. While the film tells a standalone story with no connection to prior adaptations, King developed Wonka to exist as a "companion piece" to the 1971 film by reprising some of the music, thematic elements, and visual design of the Oompa Loompas. In May 2021, Chalamet was confirmed to be portraying Wonka and the supporting cast were announced in September of that year. Filming began in the United Kingdom in September 2021, taking place in Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden, in Watford, as well as Oxford, Lyme Regis, Bath, St Albans and at the Rivoli Ballroom in Crofton Park, London. The original songs for the film were contributed by Neil Hannon, while its original score was provided by Joby Talbot. Wonka had its world premiere in London at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, on November 28, 2023. It was released in the United Kingdom on December 8 and in the United States on December 15 by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film has grossed $469 million worldwide and received generally positive reviews from critics. For his performance, Chalamet was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. The film also received two Critics’ Choice Award nominations for Best Young Actor/Actress for Lane & Costume Design.