One lesson we have all undoubtedly learned over the past decade or two is that if one waits long enough, every beloved property will be subjected to some kind of remake, reboot or revival, and that nothing is immune to the firm grasp that studios have over their productions when it comes to returning to cherished works. In the case of the character of Willy Wonka, it seemed like only a matter of time before Hollywood decided to revisit the world of this mischievous and ingenious chocolatier – but with two exceptional adaptations of Roald Dahl’s timeless Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (which has an official sequel novel, but which was never viewed as being particularly feasible), there was very little need to retell this story. Instead, we were given Wonka, which attempts to weave together the contextual clues left by the author in the two novels that feature the character, forming them into an origin story for an iconic character that has become a part of the culture. Mercifully, the decision to make this film entailed bringing Paul King on board, and as one of the few modern filmmakers who could be trusted to tell this story, based on the excellent work he did with the two Paddington films, it felt like we were at least partially in good hands. Wonka is a peculiar film and one that I’m not entirely sure is convincing enough, either conceptually or in execution, to be seen as anything other than an attempt to revisit a character and profit off his presence, which is as entertaining as ever, but nothing particularly notable. Instead, we are given exactly the film we expected, which is a bold and colourful adventure comedy set in an indeterminate time in what is very likely London, following the titular character as he rises from obscurity to worldwide fame, focusing on the obstacles that frequently stand in his way – and once again proves that Hollywood tends to rework characters for the sake of drawing an audience, and whether or not it is successful remains to be seen.

King is a director who has almost immediately made a name for himself as someone who can take broad concepts and pull together engaging and entertaining films that are bound to enthral and delight viewers of all ages. There is certainly a place in the industry for filmmakers who market themselves to the collective audience, and he has carved a niche for himself with this kind of film. That niche has become so prominent, that there is a risk of the director being indelibly connected to this kind of eccentric, quirky family-friendly comedy, which is either going to be something he embraces secure in the knowledge that there will always be an audience for his work (which we’ve seen become the downfall for directors like Tim Burton and Wes Anderson), or which he’ll quickly deviate from when it comes to his next projects. It remains to be seen what will follow in the future, but if Wonka is any indication, he’s likely going to rely on what works for him – it’s understandable but frustrating, considering that this film is not the strongest representation of his talents. It’s not entirely his fault, since this film is a good example of the industry creating a false sense of demand, making it seem like an origin story about Willy Wonka was not only a great idea, but one that audiences desperately craved, when in reality it was something that was conceived in a board-room, shifted over to a director who was most likely going to be able to make it feel like an event, and announced as some enormous work of cinematic mastery when in reality it is pleasant at most. Necessity is not always a good reason to analyse a film, since many of the best films of recent years have been viewed as unnecessary at first, but it’s difficult to look at Wonka as much more than just an attempt to bank on an existing property, one that had managed to evade being too overly saturated in the past. For what it is worth, this film is not at all a disaster, and King does the very best he can with the idea, pulling together a narrative that is focused on making sense of a character that was previously defined by his ambiguity, something that this film dismantles, but at least in a way that feels somewhat creative.

Willy Wonka is an ambigious character in the best way possible – Dahl intentionally didn’t give him any defining traits, whether in terms of personality or physical appearance, as a means to create the illusion of mystery around the character. Cinematically, this meant that just about anyone could play the role without needing to spend too much time adhering to what was originally written – this is the reason why Burton’s version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has an extensive list of names considered for the role, spread across every potential demographic to prove that it is a role that anyone could play relatively well. Timothée Chalamet was selected to play the titular character in Wonka, and while he is an objectively talented actor, this feels like an uninspired choice – he’s been the leading candidate for roles within this age range for a while, so it is frankly quite an obvious selection, but it is also one that doesn’t feel natural, particularly because the intention here wasn’t to create a unique story based on the novel, but rather a prequel to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, in which Chalamet is essentially playing the younger version of Gene Wilder’s iconic interpretation of the character. Suddenly, we don’t have an actor taking the role for himself, but rather Chamalet doing his best Wilder impersonation, which he does well, but not enough to convince us that he was a good fit for the role. He’s technically very skilled and he does show a more lighthearted side, but it’s ultimately not a performance that feels all that exciting. The supporting cast is good, but somewhat underutilized, with Olivia Colman being perhaps the only one who is given a memorable character to play, the rest being solid but fading into the background. It’s a very big cast with notable actors, but they aren’t given much to do, and whether it was simply a way of populating the film with recognizable names, or done in service of the inevitable sequels, it feels slightly underwhelming and doesn’t incite much passion in anyone who has hoping to see such a gifted cast given something better to do.

Many aspects of this film make it quite entertaining, but they never feel exciting or refreshing in the same way that we experienced with Paddington. Comparison is not always a good way to approach art, particularly when looking at the more negative aspects of a particular work, and Wonka is a film that delivers exactly what it promises. The problem is that it didn’t deliver more than that, which means it is considerably less surprising than we may have hoped it would be, especially since it was not a topic that was necessarily bursting for another reboot (especially not one that seems to be laying the foundation for a franchise, which is not particularly encouraging), and the only potential it had would be that it could do something unpredictable, when in reality it hits every required note, and absolutely nothing more. There is certainly a good degree of magic and whimsy scattered throughout the film, and no one would deny that it isn’t beautifully made, with the world-building and visual elements being quite remarkable. The problem essentially comes in the lack of a story – it spends over an hour on exposition and setting the stage for the main events, only for it to become a rapid dash to the climax, where very little character development occurs, and the entire process feels quite unearned since it is all very much rushed. Unfortunately, with a character that didn’t quite lend himself to such a project, it isn’t surprising that Wonka would feel underdeveloped and quite plain since there isn’t much we can do with this concept outside of hoping that a dazzling execution would distract from the fact that there isn’t much foundation to push the story forward. It’s an odd film and not one that always feels like it earns our time, especially not in the moments when it seems to be intent on reaching a particular narrative crescendo. It is a suitably whimsical film, and will undoubtedly be entertaining to younger audiences and viewers who want to enjoy the spectacle, but for everyone else, Wonka feels quite depleted of the charm and genuine heart that we found in previous versions of both Dahl’s iconic story and King’s earlier work.

Perhaps it is quite telling that Wonka is credited as “a confection”, because that is almost entirely the foundation of the entire film, which is not particularly consequential or all that interesting, but still has its moments of genuine sweetness and charm, making it delightful but otherwise quite one-dimensional. It does have its moments of genuine brilliance, but they are often obscured by the film’s incessant desire to be quaint and quirky, which can be delightful for younger viewers or those with an appreciation for this kind of humour, but frustrating for anyone seeking something with depth, which is not entirely unreasonable to expect, especially not considering how beautifully King managed to weave in deeper themes into his Paddington films. As a musical, it is competent enough (and the songs are generally quite good), but it never feels like it is doing anything new – the humour is amusing, and there are some lovely moments, but it is ultimately just an attempt at reviving an old property that was perfectly secure in the history of literature, and adding another entry that feels somewhat unnecessary – mercifully, it doesn’t come close to tarnishing the reputation of its source material or its existing adaptations, and instead will just be viewed as a middling effort to revisit this iconic character for the sake of starting a new franchise (whether or not that will manifest remains to be seen), rather than a deplorable waste of time and resources. As a film, Wonka is a relatively entertaining two hours of storytelling, and there’s some genuinely entertaining material that exists beneath the dazzling surface. However, we’ve passed the point where a film like this can be propelled solely on the nature of the spectacle, and the lacklustre story and uneven pace make it a slightly less impactful experience, and one that doesn’t live up to the incredible potential it had based on its premise. Not everything needs to be subjected to another revival, especially not when the source material is perfect as it is – and Wonka, unfortunately, proves that this is going to be a continued practice for the foreseeable future, and at least offers some solace in terms of being mostly quite enjoyable, but not anything more.