Wonka finished its American opening weekend by dancing its way to the top of the box office, becoming the first live-action musical to achieve this since the pandemic. Directed by Paul King, the musical grossed $39 million domestically. Not only did it earn a well-deserved 84% by critics on the Tomatometer, but also an impressive 91% on the Audience Score.

Based on Roald Dahl’s characters from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Wonka expands the fantasy with Willy Wonka’s dream of making and selling chocolate. Wonka (played by Timothée Chalamet), a magician, inventor and chocolate maker, sets out to start his chocolate shop dreams at the Galeries Gourmet with his spare savings.

The cinema lights up as Wonka begins leading the movie’s musical track. The Dolby Atmos at the Terra Vista Starlight Theater sound system has a distinctive surround sound system consisting of left, center, and right channels that amplify Wonka’s voice as he daydreams.

Yet his dreams are broken after the police charge him for daydreaming, and before long Wonka loses all of his savings. Two apparently kind-hearted people, Mrs. Scrubbit (Olivia Colman) and Bleacher (Tom Davis), take Wonka in. However, he comes to realize that it was all a scam to get him to work in a basement laundry facility to pay off his debts to them.

Soon after, Wonka meets Noodle (Calah Lane), a kind-hearted and resourceful orphan adopted by Mrs. Scrubitt, and they quickly become friends. She dreams of being with a loving family and a house with a giant library, something Mrs. Scrubitt couldn’t give to her.

The villains, three chocolate tycoons Slugworth (Paterson Joseph), Prodnose (Matt Lucas) and Fickelgruber (Matthew Banton) are all in cahoots with each other; despite acting like bitter rivals. They all want to take Wonka down, even if it means his death, because he is the greatest threat to their monopoly. They are referred to as the “Chocolate Cartel” because they get away with their crimes by bribing the chief of police with endless chocolate.

To make matters worse, Wonka’s chocolate continues to be stolen by a mysterious little Oompa Loompa (Hugh Grant) in the dead of night. When Wonka tries to explain that a little orange man with green hair stole his chocolate, no one believes him. 

With the “Chocolate Cartel” wanting Wonka dead, he has to act quickly before an “accident” occurs. “The greedy beat the needy every time,” explains Abacus Crunch (Jim Carter), another victim of Mrs. Scrubitt scam. But this doesn’t stop Wonka from pursuing his dream. After all, “every good thing in this world started with a dream,” Wonka reflects.

With a combination of great acting and singing, Wonka hooks the audience with strong acting from Timothée Chalamet and Hugh Grant. This PG-rated film catches the audience across generations from ones who grew up reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to the those who may have watched the 1971 and 2005 films.

“They made [the film] great. There were throwbacks from the original; like ‘Pure Imagination’ and other things I loved,” explained fellow movie watcher Lucy S.

Wonka stirs up nostalgia by incorporating the classic songs, “Oompa Loompa” and “Pure Imagination.” Keen viewers will find easter-egg-like references to the original film.

“I won’t put it above the original [Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory]. However, the film made me smile during the songs. It’s a nice [and] fun movie,” Matthew B. said.

4.5/5 Stars