There is something both unnecessary yet totally fitting about the new musical prequel to the 1971 film Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (itself an adaptation of the Roald Dahl book of a slightly different name). It makes sense, in that director Paul King received much acclaim for his adaptation of another beloved children’s literature property in Paddington. It is unnecessary in the same way that any modern-day IP reboot has to justify itself beyond the motivation of cashing in. Wonka is far less lazy than most of these reboot efforts, but it also never shakes the sense of being inessential.

The film’s opening number does a clever job of establishing the basic premise (in short, consumer capitalism suppresses true entrepreneurial spirit and creative innovation for the sake of monopolistic stability and commodity homogenization). It is also Continue reading Wonka (2023) Movie Review →