Wonka was movie, I was interested in solely because of Paul King. He directed both Paddington movies (1 & 2) and those were films were such beautiful family friendly movies. And because of that I was so looking forward to Wonka. And after watching the movie, once again Paul King delivers with this film. Wonka is the spiritual prequel to the 1971 classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Timothée Chalamet's performance as Willy Wonka is brilliant. Timothée, throughout the film, is able to capture that aurora we all felt watching Gene Wilder play the quirky and fun candy maker. His mannerisms, temperament, humor, wittiness, and enthusiasm is unmatched, cementing himself as the Willy Wonka we know and love in Gene Wilder. As first, many seemed skeptical of how well he would perform, but undoubtedly, Timothe Chalament is simply wonderful. Another charming performance is that of Calah Lane as Noodle, the orphan worker Wonka meets in the film. Her companionship matched with Chalamet's well-natured character, displays such emotion and hope. Lane's character is confused and silenced initially, but through Wonka, she finds herself and then builds the confidence to become wholesome while tagging along with him. And the song "For a Moment" in the zoo was phenomenal, I loved that song and it almost made gulp. The music was so beautiful and each song was so catchy and it made the film better in my opinion. This film is a family friendly movie and I got to say I love this version of Wonka. All cast and crew did a spectacular job with this film. They were all memorable with this the villain's and the side characters were just so great. It isn't just with the Paddington movies, no Paul King know how to make TRUE family-friendly movies. 9/10. What a great movie to end the year 2023 with.
