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Wonka is an entertaining, sweet film propelled by imagination and an infectious sense of fun.

I enjoyed Timothée Chalamet‘s take on Wonka – he’s sweet, he’s full of hope. Some may not appreciate how different this Wonka is to Gene Wilder’s Wonka; I saw this film as its own beast, so I didn’t really mind.

There’s a fun ensemble here, relishing the opportunity to go campy and over the top. Hugh Grant was amusing as Oompa-Lompa, but the CG creation that is this Oompa-Loompa was pretty awkward – and I never really got used to it. Olivia Colman was great as one of the film’s villains. Actually, all the baddies were a lot of fun and they get a surprising amount to do.

The musical numbers were enjoyable. A couple of catchy tunes, although, if I’m honest, there weren’t any real tunes that I thought, “I’m going to get to Spotify and listen to that again and again after this.”

I also found the film just a little bit too long, for what it is. I was waiting for some of those reveals for quite a while it felt like. But that’s ultimately a minor gripe.

Wonka is a pleasant family film, with a little bit of edge and nice amount of heart.