Wonka review: This sickly sweet prequel will leave you craving more
Wonka
(PG) 116mins
★★★☆☆
THERE was a golden ticket opportunity to make a world of pure imagination in this origin story of Roald Dahl’s famous confectionery character.
And in many ways, it’s succeeded.
While being a little too sickly-sweet.
Timothee Chalamet climbs into the boots of Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp before him to give Willy Wonka a kinder, less eccentric touch.
The award-winning actor delivers a Wonka-for-all — both cute and chaotic — while hitting the high notes on every tune.
However, this friendly, kind-hearted version of the character leaves you craving a bit more of the psychotic charm of Wilder in the 1971 film Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory.
Co-written and directed by Paul King, who made the much-loved Paddington films (let’s face it, Paddington 2 is one of the best films of all time) this singing and dancing dip into the mind of the chocolatier has a similar look and feel — and cast — to the two films about the travelling bear.
Starry-eyed Wonka wants to live out his mother’s dreams of owning a chocolate shop, but is soon met with a greedy cartel of chocolatiers who vow not to let him succeed.
The gang, Slugworth (Paterson Joseph), Prodnose (Matt Lucas) and Fickelgruber (Mathew Baynton) — all written about in Dahl’s book — are respon- sible for stealing Wonka’s recipes.
And the bitter trio aren’t poverty-stricken Wonka’s only problem.
With plenty of talent but no money, he is soon in debt to a B&B owner from hell, Mrs Scrubbit, played by Olivia Colman, and has to work for an eternity in her sweatshop to pay off what he owes her.
This soon leads to an all-singing, all-dancing fight with the bevy of baddies.
With a cast that also includes Rowan Atkinson, Sally Hawkins, Hugh Grant and Jim Carter, it is certainly a celebration of all things British.
Chalamet is pleasant, but hasn’t given Wonka enough depth to make him intriguing.
Colman’s is by far the best performance, while Grant puts on his over-used posh-man-in-a-kids’-film hat as a CGI Oompa-Loompa.
You can almost see him eye-rolling between takes.
A perfectly sweet evening at the cinema for all the family, but it never gives enough of a sugar rush to make it a memorable treat.
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
(PG) 98mins
★★★☆☆
AFTER more than 20 years of incubation, the sequel to Aardman’s smash Chicken Run has finally hatched.
Many of the voice actors return, although Julia Sawalha is replaced by Thandiwe Newton as Ginger, while Zachary Levi takes over as bombastic American rooster Rocky.
The new story finds the couple and the rest of the flock who daringly escaped at the end of the first film, living in blissful harmony on a peaceful island sanctuary.
But Rocky and Ginger’s plucky teenage daughter Molly (Bella Ramsey) longs to explore the big, bad world.
What ensues is a tongue-in-cheek Bond meets Mission Impossible-style caper complete with an elaborate villain’s lair, mad scientist, elaborate mind-control scheme and laser robot ducks.
The film retains its charmingly British feel, from its Yorkshire setting to knitting obsessed, tea drinking chicken Babs – again voiced by Jane Horrocks.
The cheesy dad jokes can be a bit wearing, but there are some laugh-out-loud moments.
It’s a fun, family watch this Christmas . . . but maybe give the chicken nuggets a miss afterwards.
Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain
(15) 92mins
★☆☆☆☆
WHEN three man-children discover a compass that leads to a priceless ancient bust hidden up in the mountains, they believe their lives will change for ever.
Sadly, that won’t be the case for the three comedians who star in this flick – Martin Herlihy, John Higgins and Ben Marshall.
They were tipped for greatness after posting funny three-minute online skits during the pandemic.
But the trio, known as Please Don’t Destroy, seem utterly out of their depth in their first feature-length film, which is already available to stream in the US.
In the flick Ben longs for his father’s approval, Martin worries about his religious girlfriend’s needs and John fears growing up.
Of course, instead of actually facing up to their problems they go on an all singing, all dancing (on rollerskates) journey to find long-lost treasure.
That’s where the thread-thin plot is lost and the neverending goofy, geeky gags reach absurd levels.
Highlights include a sassy CGI eagle and a Stranger Things star cameo but, apart from those bits to treasure, audiences will be wishing the word “don’t” was axed from the title.