But never has there been a more cautionary tale about the danger of too much of a good thing.
Magical as that Roald Dahl-scripted film was, it remains lodged in our imaginations less for its sugary goodness than the way darkness, satire and even mania ebb around its edges — flowing down that nightmarish watery tunnel and pooling somewhere in the back of Gene Wilder’s eyes. Charlie Bucket and Grandpa Joe may bubble with laughter all the way up the ceiling, but there’s a spinning metal blade up there.
“Wonka,” the latest attempt to revisit Dahl’s masterwork, bears no such danger. It’s going more for the taste of an Everlasting Gobstopper — an ingenious confection that piles flavor on top of flavor. Tasty though that can be, you miss the daring of Dahl in the more wanly whimsical “Wonka.”
Still, the movie has two big things going for it: the charisma of its winning star, Timothée Chalamet, and the dazzling designs of its director, Paul King, the don of “Paddington.” To a large degree, King has applied much of the formula that defined “Paddington” — and that “Godfather Part II” of sequels, “Paddington 2” — to a Wonka origin story that populates a delightfully detailed world with a delightful array of supporting characters (many of whom are “Paddington” veterans). Did I say it’s delightful?
Yet it’s that strain to delight that keeps “Wonka” from achieving liftoff. King’s film is lively but too neutered to do Dahl justice; congenial but not clever enough to match the giddy joy of “Paddington 2.” If Tim Burton’s 2005 film, with Johnny Depp giving Wonka a Michael Jackson spin, leaned into creepiness, “Wonka” goes the opposite direction.
This story is from the December 22, 2023 edition of AppleMagazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 22, 2023 edition of AppleMagazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
THE "GREENHOUSE EFFECT": HOW AN OFT-TOUTED CLIMATE SOLUTION THREATENS AGRICULTURAL WORKERS
To harvest tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers, to clip herbs, to prune and propagate succulents, people work in oppressive heat and humidity.
HONG KONG IS TESTING OUT ITS OWN CHATGPT-STYLE TOOL AS OPENAI PLANNED EXTRA STEPS TO BLOCK ACCESS
Hong Kong’s government is testing the city’s own ChatGPT -style tool for its employees, with plans to eventually make it available to the public, its innovation minister said after OpenAI took extra steps to block access from the city and other unsupported regions.
EUROPEAN UNION COURT SAYS TIKTOK OWNER CAN'T AVOID BLOC'S LAW CRACKING DOWN ON DIGITAL GIANTS
TikTok owner ByteDance can’t avoid the bloc’s crackdown on digital giants, a European Union court said Wednesday in a decision that found the video sharing platform falls under a new law that also covers Apple, Google and Microsoft.
DATA OF NEARLY ALL AT&T CUSTOMERS DOWNLOADED FROM A THIRD-PARTY PLATFORM IN SECURITY BREACH
The data of nearly all customers of the telecommunications giant AT&T was downloaded from a third-party platform in a security breach, the company said last weekend, as cyberattacks against businesses, schools and health systems continue to spread globally.
SCIENTISTS HAVE CONFIRMED A CAVE ON THE MOON THAT COULD BE USED TO SHELTER FUTURE EXPLORERS
Scientists have confirmed a cave on the moon, not far from where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed 55 years ago, and suspect there are hundreds more that could house future astronauts.
ROBOT UMPIRE CHALLENGE SYSTEM COULD BE TESTED NEXT SPRING TRAINING, 2026 REGULAR-SEASON USE POSSIBLE
Major League Baseball could test robot umpires as part of a challenge system in spring training next year, which could lead to regular-season use in 2026.
TECH TIP: PROTECTING YOURSELF AGAINST SIM SWAPPING
SIM-swapping is a growing form of identity theft that goes beyond hacking into an email or social media account. In this case, the thieves take over your phone number. Any calls or texts go to them, not to you.
US SENATORS CALL OUT BIG TECH'S NEW APPROACH TO POACHING TALENT, PRODUCTS FROM SMALLER AI STARTUPS
In the race to stay ahead in artificial intelligence, the biggest technology companies are swallowing up the talent and products of innovative AI startups without formally acquiring them.
CALIFORNIA NEEDS A MILLION EV CHARGING STATIONS, BUT THAT'S 'UNLIKELY' & 'UNREALISTIC'
California will have to build public charging stations at an unprecedented — and some experts say unrealistic — pace to meet the needs of the 7 million electric cars expected on its roads in less than seven years.
APPLE POSTPONES NEW SPACE-SAVING IPHONE DESIGN
Apple has once again delayed its plan to implement resin-coated copper (RCC) components in future iPhones, according to Ming-Chi Kuo. Initially set for the iPhone 16, then pushed to the iPhone 17, the change is now postponed indefinitely.