Warning: This review may contain spoilers for the film.

On Dec. 15, 2023, “Wonka” was released in theaters. “Wonka” follows the story of Willy Wonka, one of the main characters from the Roald Dahl novel, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” In past film adaptations of the novel, released in 1971 and 2005, the plot follows Charlie, a young boy who finds one of Willy Wonka’s golden tickets in his chocolate bar.

This golden ticket allows him to take a tour of Willy Wonka’s chocolate and candy factory. This factory is full of wonders where everything is made of candy. While past movies only cover this basic story from the novel, “Wonka” takes a new viewpoint from the book, serving as a prequel. 

In “Wonka”, Willy Wonka, a magician, inventor, and chocolatier, is an aspiring young man that dreams of opening his own chocolate factory. “Wonka” chronicles the journey of Willy Wonka starting his own candy shop to eventually his iconic candy corporation.  

Wonka has to overcome many challenges along the way, including competitors that don’t want him to succeed. His adventure is accompanied by a young orphan girl, Noodie, who also has a dream. Her dream is to live with her parents in a house full of books. Through hard work and perseverance, these two are able to accomplish their dreams, in turn inspiring the audience to pursue their own aspirations.

The lead role of Willy Wonka was given to Timothée Chalamet, and he was a true star in this film. His portrayal of Wonka was superb, giving the character the perfect amount of charisma and quirkiness.

Another stand-out character and actor in “Wonka” was Hugh Grant, who played the Oompa Loompa. The Oompa Loompa’s goal throughout the whole movie was to seek revenge on Wonka for stealing his tribe’s cocoa pods. Grant played this character perfectly and gave the Oompa Loompa a sort of elegance, confidence, and humor that really complemented the rest of the cast.

I believe that the older Willy Wonka films are cinematic classics, and this new era of Wonka films falls short of its predecessors. While this movie is good, it’s almost impossible to follow in the footsteps of such classic films, especially with the commercial success that accompanied them.

“Wonka” is a classic feel-good movie about following your dreams. It has nice, subtle aspects of comedy that complement this story, leaving the viewer smiling throughout. 

Past Willy Wonka movies have an overlying message that your actions will have consequences, but this message of following your dreams is entirely different. It almost feels out of place in the Wonka franchise, given that its story and message is so iconic.

The new “Wonka” just can’t beat a classic story, and this really shows throughout the movie. This movie is simple, cute, and heartwarming, but nothing more or less. This movie will give you a few laughs and fill you with glee, but it just doesn’t quite have the depth that made the older movies classics. 

Overall, this movie has satisfying aspects that make it fun and easy to watch, but it still can’t escape the shadow of its predecessors. While discovering how Willy Wonka founded his factory may be an intriguing concept, “Wonka” falls just short of joining its counterparts as a modern classic.