Wonka was released on December 15, 2023 in the U.S. and is still available in a handful of theaters, but is now finally streaming on MAX. This wacky musical is a prequel to the 1971 classic, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, which starred the late, great Gene Wilder. Wonka backs up a few years and tells the story of how the odd, but lovable inventor and chocolatier came to establish his now-famous factory.

Wonka has a few things going for it, but not enough to make it a hit. OK, so it is the highest-grossing film among its predecessors, the aforementioned Wilder flick and the Tim Burton/Johnny Depp remake, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005). And yes, it is currently the highest-grossing film with Timothée Chalamet in the lead, though Dune: Part Two is on track to match or even surpass Wonka’s $625.3 million worldwide bucket. But to me, Wonka was just a bit better than meh.

That being said, I did find it watchable for a couple of reasons. The first, and most appealing of which was Timothée Chalamet. While Chalamet shines much brighter to me as a serious actor, his versatile talent, youthful charm and the deep emotional presence he brings to all of his roles kept me watching him as the titular Willy Wonka. His voice, while soft in spots, was solidly pleasant through dialogue and song alike. Combined with the sweet and smooth vocal talents of Calah Lane in the role of Noodle, this duo left me wishing for more of them, and some better songs.

Indeed, the music that was original to this film left much to be desired, but the cute little nods to the music from the 1971 original film were a tantalizing piece. There were also a couple of other winks to the classic that left me with a sense of nostalgia for the original.

Other highlights included glorified cameos by Hugh Grant as a mildly funny and acceptable Oompa Loompa and Mr. Bean himself, Rowan Atkinson whose comedic delivery is always spot on, even if the material itself isn’t so much. Speaking of material, I wish they’d given Atkinson more to do as his part consisted entirely of a couple of scenes as a chocolate-addicted, guilt-ridden clergyman who was questioning his faith, or his life choices, or something. Furthermore, Hugh Grant’s decent performance notwithstanding, I wasn’t impressed with the Oompa Loompa CGI.

Wonka’s PG rating seems appropriate for some scenes of mild peril and one appearance of a man’s thigh as he attempts to impress a lady with some silly antics in a pair of shorts. Overall, I would say it’s clean and entertaining enough for a one-time pass for family movie night.

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