Never in my life would I have thought I would willingly watch a giraffe milking musical number, but the Wonka movie proved me wrong.
The Wonka remake starring Timothée Chalamet was released December 15, 2023 and gained popularity quickly. Its increased attention, due to social media, helped it gain a variety of mixed reviews. With 83 rotten tomatoes, the 1 hour and 50 minutes of singing and visuals could have been better executed by director Paul King.
As the movie started out, it did a good job at showing the audience of Wonka’s misfortune starting out. He was able to accurately display hope and determination that later helped him achieve his goal. There was a good amount of creativity when showing how Wonka made his specialized chocolate, and the ingredients and visuals were engaging and made me want to know more variations of his chocolates.
As small as his role was in the movie, the Oompa Loompa – played by Hugh Grant – added some humor and character to the performance. This character added to the variety of characters throughout the movie and served as a good break for comic relief.
Unfortunately, the Oompa Loompa’s feature did not save the movie as a whole. Grant’s appearances seemed a little forced at times and looked like an afterthought. As creative as Wonka is portrayed in the movie, he wasn’t creative enough to dress in a different outfit once he was able to open his Chocolate Factory. It would’ve been more satisfying to see a change in clothing along with his character development of achieving his dream business.
Speaking of, I was disappointed in the shop design itself. In previous movies, it has been described and shown as a place full of wonder and creativity. Something exciting and full of action. Although it did have some creativity in the design at some scenes, overall it could have improved its displays of all the chocolate and show more of the customers enjoying an immersive experience.
The music was somewhat catchy and the visuals along with it were a little above average. One scene in particular that I wish I would not have watched was the giraffe milking musical number. That song could have been performed at the rest of the zoo, not while Wonka was milking a giraffe.
Overall, filmmakers need to stop making remakes. What made the previous Wonka movies so successful was the creativity and originality of the idea. Not every movie needs a prequel or a sequel to engage the audience. Sometimes some things are better left up to the imagination of a viewer. Movie companies need to be brave and creative enough to brank out and make something new to show originality.
