Arantza Villarroel | Writer
January 18, 2024
Disclaimer: this review contains spoilers from certain scenes in the movie
On December 15, 2023, Wonka debuted, quickly exciting the public who grew up watching the classic movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971). The casting widened the overall public by targeting a younger audience with well-known actors Timothee Chalamet and Calah Lane, also targeting older audiences by hiring Rowan Atkinson. Wonka brings a new perspective into the story of the protagonist, this time depicting him as a young and adventurous dreamer whose ultimate desire is to bring back his beloved mother and gain a supporting community through his love of chocolate.
The so-called five C’s: camera angles, continuity, cutting, close-ups, and composition are the union of different camera characteristics that form a highly produced film. The review will be based on the specified qualities.
The film is characterized by fast-paced scenes with constantly moving cameras, which work as a representation of Wonka’s character, who is entertaining and eccentric. It is also a more active and cheerful way of presenting a scene, adding to the emotion of the musical, full of songs, and flashing lights. This method leaves viewers constantly engaged, with the desire not to miss even one second of action. The director, Paul King, also successfully achieved a mixture of close and long shots. Yet, the long shots were more remarkable and mesmerizing, simply because of the attention to detail that was given to every scene.
To mention just a few, the fabulous scene of Wonka and Noodle floating with colorful balloons on top of a completely lighted-up building while doing a dance routine, which may sound like a lot, but enhanced the magical and surrealist idea that comes with Wonka, and dazzled the public. Following that same idea, the shots of the chocolate store when it finally opened are also worth mentioning, focusing on the long and twirling tree with pink cotton candy leaves, and a fake river with glass candy flowers growing around. The scene perfectly shows Wonka’s dream and succeeds in delighting the viewer with how magical everything is.
The storyline was also continuous and absorbing. There were a lot of minor complications throughout, such as all the unfortunate encounters with corrupt police officers who were not on Wonka’s side, which added up to the final climax of the story, and of course, the saddest part of the movie. Just when the public thought the end was coming, Wonka had a final realization that shook his world, and he decided to fight one last time.
Even though analyzing the movie from a cinematographic point of view may make it seem completely amazing, there has been some mild controversy going on the internet since the trailer came out. The acting was one of the many reasons a lot of people were disappointed. The public believed Chalamet did not accurately deliver some of the most iconic lines of the movie, such as that remarkable “quiet up, listen down…Scratch that, reverse it!” that comes down from the original version from 1971. Sadly, he was not the only victim of a mediocre script. Sophomore Hannah Aguilera agreed, “Other characters had multiple awkward dialogues, or simply did not deliver their lines in the right tone to properly express the emotions.”
The music was another common cause of complaints. Junior Portia Wright described it as “unpleasant, and inadequate to certain scenes.” This may demonstrate the end of the era for musicals, with younger people no longer enjoying them, and categorizing them negatively.
Wonka was unexpected news for everyone. No one considered the need for an adaptation of the classic Willy Wonka movies. Yet, it was certainly enjoyable, especially for the young kids in the public, who laughed at the nonsense rhymes, ridiculous dancing, and cartoonish scenes performed by Chalamet. The movie was not directly targeted toward the younger generations and families, but it should have been.
Wonka continues to fill the theaters with youthful smiles and family laughter. Go submerge yourself in the magical world of Wonka if you have not yet! Meet his past, his dreams, his adversities, and his new but dear friends in an adventure to open up a chocolate store. In the end, you will understand how he became who we know today as Willy Wonka. Still available in theaters around the U.S.!
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