It’s No Surprise That Timothée Chalamet’s Wonka Sounds Great When You Remember 1 Key Thing

The first reactions to Wonka are overwhelmingly positive, which isn’t shocking, as there’s a good reason why the movie was always bound to be great. The Willy Wonka prequel movie, based on the character from Roald Dahl’s 1964 children’s novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, stars Timothée Chalamet in the titular role of the eccentric inventor turned world-famous chocolatier. Despite his star power and the intrigue behind the idea, however, the first Wonka trailer left room for doubt. While it was exciting to see how Chalamet’s Willy Wonka compared to Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp, his performance didn’t immediately impress, and the film’s tone seemed uneven.

Fortunately, reactions to Wonka on social media have been favorable, proving that a film can’t always be judged by its trailer. Critics praised Chalamet’s charming rendition of Willy Wonka and the performances of his supporting cast, including Hugh Grant, Olivia Colman, and Sally Hawkins. For many of the film’s first viewers, Wonka exceeded expectations given their initial skepticism based on the trailer. The positive response may come as a big surprise to those who haven’t seen the film and had doubts of their own, but Wonka being good should have been anticipated.

Wonka’s Reactions Aren’t Really Surprising – Paddington 2’s Director Made It

The movie’s positive early reactions shouldn’t be such a shock given that Wonka director Paul King also made Paddington and Paddington 2. He also co-wrote all three movies. While the first Paddington was well-received, its 2017 sequel fared even better with critics and moviegoers. Indeed, Paddington 2 could be considered the best movie of all time, as it even briefly had a better Rotten Tomatoes score than Citizen Kane. With the first two Paddington movies, King proved his gift for bringing whimsy and delight to the big screen, yet delivering a follow-up that was even better than the original was his most impressive feat.

King’s Paddington successes should have reassured Wonka doubters given the similarities in their source material. Like Willy Wonka, the titular bear from Paddington originated in beloved children’s books. By the time he took on Wonka, King already had experience creating narratives about an existing fictional character from children’s literature and handling the responsibility with care. It makes sense that Wonka is well-executed, as the Paddington movies prepared the director to manage the preconceived expectations that a Willy Wonka prequel was bound to produce.

King’s Wonka writing partner also should have been a clear indicator that Wonka was always in good hands. While he has the sole credit for the story concept, King co-wrote the screenplay for Wonka with Simon Farnaby, with whom he previously collaborated on Paddington 2. These two creators were bound to produce more magic together when they reunited for Wonka.

How Big A Success Will Wonka Be?

Wonka releases in theaters on December 15, 2023, and its positive reception is sure to draw in more viewers, especially those who were on the fence about the movie. The discrepancy between the divisive reactions to the trailers and the positive response to the film might generate its own interest. While some moviegoers put off by the trailers may already be planning to see the film out of morbid curiosity, people who had otherwise opted not to see Wonka may change their minds after hearing the rave reviews.

Wonka‘s release date is sure to help, as well. The fantasy musical was described by Next Best Picture critic Zoë Rose Bryant, as “an instant holiday classic,” and by FilmSpeak‘s Griffin Schiller as “the family event of the holiday season.” Wonka could be a festive hit that maintains re-watch value around the holidays every year. The movie won’t have much competition in theaters, especially for families, except for maybe the superhero sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which releases the following week. In the end, Wonka could turn out to be a huge success.