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

29 November, 2023

Hugh Grant Wonka

The reviews have arrived for the anticipated 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”.

Film 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 “intoxicating”.

Elsewhere, Critics Choice member Grace Randolph took to X/Twitter to recall the movie being “SHOCKINGLY good”, while Zoë Rose Bryant labelled it as “an instant holiday classic”.

Producer and journalist Simon Thompson said that although Wonka “doesn’t quite reach the charming and beguiling heights of the Paddington movies” the finished result “is still a delightfully sweet treat”, and entertainment anchor for Good Day Chicago, Jake Hamilton, compared the new film to the 1971 adaptation with Gene Wilder, saying it is “a loving tribute to everything we love about the ‘71 original”. Find more critics’ responses below.

Earlier this year, it was reported that King praised Chalamet’s music chops, and pinpointed the actor’s viral high school theatre shows as the moment he began “stanning” Chalamet.

In a later interview, the filmmaker praised him once again as having a “beautiful” singing voice and reminding him of 1930s icon Bing Crosby.

The first trailer for Wonka arrived in July, however following its release, Grant’s casting drew criticism from actor George Coppen, who said that “a lot of actors [with dwarfism] feel like we are being pushed out of the industry we love.”

Wonka opens in theatres across the UK on December 8, followed by a US release on December 15.

The post Critics praise ‘Wonka’ as “infinitely charming” and “intoxicating” in first reviews appeared first on NME.