Critics praise ‘Wonka’ as “infinitely charming” and “intoxicating” in first reviews

nme.com:

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory prequel, Wonka, and critics have praised it as “infinitely charming”.Set to arrive in cinemas next month, the highly-awaited film is the prequel to the Charlie And The Chocolate Factory story – originally written by Roald Dahl, and later given film adaptations in 1971 and 2005.Created by Paul King, the filmmaker behind Paddington and Paddington 2, the new movie sees Timothée Chalamet cast as a younger version of the world-famous chocolatier and follows him as he tries to open his first shop.Alongside Chalamet, Hugh Grant also stars in the film as an Oompa Loompa.

Other cast members include Rowan Atkinson, Olivia Colman, Matt Lucas, Sally Hawkins, Mathew Baynton and more.The first wave of reviews for Wonka have now been shared, and the film has so far received a largely positive response.

Film writer Perri Nemiroff described the film as “a super charming delight powered by an exceptional & pitch-perfect performance from Timothée Chalamet,” adding that although “It can get quite silly and there’s a few plot points that are a tad on the thin side”, it was still “an impossibly sweet film with a hefty & very effective dose of sincerity”.#Wonka is a super charming delight powered by an exceptional & pitch-perfect performance from Timothée Chalamet.

It can get quite silly and there’s a few plot points that are a tad on the thin side, but that couldn’t stop such an impossibly sweet film with a hefty & very… pic.twitter.com/1SLMmRPSGY— Perri Nemiroff (@PNemiroff) November 28, 2023Film critic Courtney Howard agreed, describing Wonka as “a winning confection, filled with perfect amounts of charm, whimsy & poignancy, powered by pure imagination” and the leading man’s performance as.