Wonka (4k UHD + Digital HD)
Blu-Ray Reviews | Mar 5th, 2024
Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key, Hugh Grant, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Carter, Olivia Colman
Written By: Simon Farnaby, Paul King
Directed By: Paul King
Studio: Warner Bros.
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Come with me, and you’ll see…another mediocre movie. Wonka has a few moments that I liked and enjoyed but for the most part, the origin tale is a letdown and forgettable for me.
Willy Wonka (Timothée Chalamet) is a young, eccentric, inventor and chocolatier who arrives in Europe to start his own chocolate shop. Wonka gets help from an orphan girl named Noodle (Calah Lane). He soon finds himself pitted against three rival chocolatiers including the notorious Mr Slugworth (Paterson Joseph). An hour into the movie, Lofty (Hugh Grant), an Oompa-Loompa confronts Wonka for stealing their cocoa beans and wants his debt paid.
Jeremy Allen White would have been my choice for Wonka but I guess Timothée can sing and has the charisma? He’s good in the movie but I wasn’t a fan of the singing he did. I think some of the songs were good like the one with the rival chocolatiers but I think some of the songs missed the mark. Something is missing from the songs, that force that made the original movie songs become classic. Even when “Pure Imagination” gets sung at the end of the movie, it just feels like a lesser-version, slow-down cover song.
It’s unfortunate Hugh Grant didn’t show up until an hour into the movie since I thought he was one of the best parts of the movie. Besides Calah Lane and Keegan-Michael Key, the rest of the cast was just as forgettable as the songs for me. Maybe I’m being too hard on the movie and would appreciate it with more viewings like I did for the original movie? I think most of these songs are equal to “Cheer Up Charlie,” which is perhaps the most skippable scene of any movie of all-time.
I liked the scenes in Wonka’s chocolate shop, the scenes with Lofty, and was finding it amusing that Keegan-Michael Key’s character was getting bigger and bigger as the movie progressed. I just thought the overall movie’s storyline was a bit weak and watered down. I want to see the Wonka that is jaded, cynical, and doesn’t give a crap about bratty kids. For an origin story, I still have no idea who he is.
The special features includes a featurette about Paul King’s vision of Wonka by using source material with Roald Dahl and some new ideas as well. There’s featurettes about the music of Wonka, cast & crew first interactions with Willy Wonka and Roald Dahl, costume design and more.
Granted, it’s not the Scottish “Wonka Experience” but I was expecting a little bit more from this movie. Some of the songs are catchy but I wasn’t a fan of most of them. I could see why Timothée Chalamet was cast in the movie but I honestly would have casted someone else. Some will enjoy this movie but I was bored of it pretty quickly.
Special Features:
Unwrapping Paul King’s Vision
The Whimsical Music of Wonka
Welcome to Wonka Land
Hats Off to Wonka
Wonka’s Chocolatier
Musical Moments
Video:
Codec: HEVC / H.265
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Audio:
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Subtitles:
English SDH, French, Spanish
Bottom Line: I’ll just keep watching the original movie (except the Cheer Up Charlie scene).
Running Time: 117 mins
Rating: PG
Extras Rating:
Overall Rating:
