LOS ALAMITOS, CA – On Dec. 15, the “Wonka” movie hit the theaters and touched people’s hearts. The film stars Timothée Chalamet as Willy Wonka, driving in loads of viewers. Will my review be as sweet as chocolate? BRIEF SPOILERS AHEAD!

Chalamet portrayed a 22-year-old Wonka, and the film gave his backstory. The viewers learned how he became a chocolatier, and how his love for chocolate came to be so strong.

The film enhances the story with colors, costumes, and songs. As weird as it sounds, I felt like the colors added some sort of feeling to the movie. The bright pinks and yellows were used in the fun and exciting moments, and duller colors were used when the storyline got a little sad or harsh. I also loved the costumes as they were specific to each character. Wonka’s outfit was amazing because of the differentiating colors and funky patterns incorporated; I’m considering being him for Halloween next year.

Another effect that I enjoyed was the music. To be honest, I didn’t know it was a musical when I went to see the film, but I wasn’t disappointed. The songs were pretty catchy and went along with what was going on. I’ve only seen Chalamet rap on “Saturday Night Live,” which doesn’t showcase his voice as well as “Wonka” did. I was waiting for the song “Pure Imagination” from “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and was excited to hear it play near the end of the movie. Overall, I’ll be shamelessly adding some of the songs from the soundtrack to my playlist. 

The prequel to “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” gives the backstory of Wonka’s life as a chocolate enthusiast, and introduces the people that helped him achieve his goals. The viewers meet all of the characters, both good and bad. Wonka meets some people along his journey, and we learn more about them and their stories, told through song. I told you there were a lot of songs! One of the main protagonists is Noodle, a young orphan with an unfortunate upbringing. Viewers were able to know and love her as a character, just as Wonka did.

Noodle and Wonka were faced with many challenges and worked together to try and defeat the antagonists. I enjoyed watching the friendship and trust build between Wonka and Noodle as the movie went on. The other viewers and I were also introduced to one of my favorite characters: the Oompa Loompa. He was described as the “little orange man with green hair.” Noodle thought that the Oompa Loompa was just a figment of Wonka’s imagination, but she later found out that she was wrong. 

As the storyline did explain how Wonka started his business, it didn’t completely align with “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” which I actually enjoyed. It gave us viewers just enough background knowledge to let us know what happened before Charlie went up in the glass elevator. It gave enough coverage to know what the basic happening was, but it left us viewers with some room for imagination, which Wonka would approve of. 

Overall, I enjoyed the movie and walked out of the theater with “Pure Imagination” stuck in my head, but I’m not complaining. As of now the movie is only available in theaters, and I definitely recommend catching a viewing of the movie, since it’s definitely worth a view. Make sure to bring your imagination and your sweet tooth!