We are living in very dark times. With wars and political upheaval, the cost of living crisis and corruption all around, you feel downhearted every time you switch the news on. Fear not, good people, for there is a way to feel joy for a few hours, in the form of the latest film from the team behind Paddington. Wonka is not a remake of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but an origins tale of how the man became the master chocolatier, in a delightful musical extravaganza that is a throwback to the old family movies of the past.

Willy Wonka is a young man with a dream: to become the world’s most extraordinary chocolatier and set up a shop in the city where chocolate is king. After staying in a hotel and being trapped after he can’t afford the added extras, Wonka escapes but finds the city is run by three chocolatiers who have the police and even the church in their pocket but Wonka, ever being the total optimist, is going to find a way of escaping the clutches of the hotel manageress, free his friends, also unfortunate customers, and making his dreams come true.

Co-written by Ghosts star Simon Farnaby (who also pops up as a zoo keeper) and director Paul King, the pair follow the same route they took with the beloved bear from Peru. Take a loved character from literature and give him a new lease of life. Using the 1971 Gene Wilder starring film version, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory as their source material, they have taken the character back to his roots to show that it wasn’t all magic and mystery, instead an uphill battle with the dastardly hotel owner (somewhat reminiscent of The Trunchball in Matilda) and greedy chocolatiers (more like Fantastic Mr Fox’s three evil farmers).

Watching this wondrous tale was like being transported back to a world where cinema was a much more joyous place, where big screen musicals filled the auditoriums and family films were inoffensive. Yet they worked on all levels of the audience and weren’t just for kids. The film is littered with terrific musical numbers, penned by Neil Hannon, the lead of The Divine Comedy, with witty lyrics and larger-than-life routines that instantly remind you of films like Oliver! and Mary Poppins! It’s also a laugh-out-loud comedy, with interesting characters played by exciting actors. It has elements of excitement and peril, and by the end, you find yourself weeping like a baby just for the opening chords of Pure Imagination.

The plot may not seem like the most original thing in the world, and it does follow the same path as the Paddington movies in a way, but that doesn’t matter. What it manages to do so successfully is carry the audience along without being patronising, and you find your face aching from smiling all the way through. It cleverly plays on what we know from growing up with Wilder’s creation and extends that with a younger, even more energetic performance.

The cast are all perfect in their roles, from Olivia Coleman’s Mrs Scrubbit and Tom Allen’s Bletcher, forming a hilarious comedy double act as the hotel owner and her thuggish wingman, to the three chocolatiers: Patterson Joseph, Matt Lucas and Mathew Baynton all complimenting each other. Keegan-Michael Key is good fun as the Chief of Police, and young Calah Lane makes for a perfect straight girl as Noodles, the orphan who befriends Wonka. Yet this film has two aces up its sleeve.

After stealing Paddington 2 as the over-the-top actor, it would have been a crime if Hugh Grant hadn’t returned to work with King and Farnaby again, and this time, they scored big. Hugh Grant is an Oompa-Loompa. His role may not be huge, but he almost steals this film as well, with his hilarious song-and-dance routines to the Oompa-Loompa songs while adding an air of pompousness to his role that works wonders.

In the title role, Timothée Chalamet is an absolute revelation. The usually intense actor is a joy to behold. He is charming, smooth, funny, and a decent song and danceman. He has taken the soul of Gene Wilder and embraced it with love and positivity. He lights up the screen with his boyish good looks and enough charisma to go around for everyone. It will be hard not to watch him now and not think of him as Wonka.

I absolutely loved Wonka from the moment it started to the tearful ending. It sparkles with energy, lighting up your heart, and for 2 hours, you can forget about the horrible things in the big wide world. This is what pure escapism is all about, and I could have easily turned around and watched it all over again. A new cinematic treat is with us, and we should all embrace it.

5 out of 5

Director: Paul King

Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Calah Lane, Hugh Grant, Olivia Colman, Keenan-Michael Key, Patterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton, Tom Allen, Jim Carter, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson.

Written by Simon Farnaby, (also story) Paul King and (based on characters created) Roald Dahl.

Running Time: 116 mins

Cert: PG

Release date: 8th December 2023