Wonka: First Reviews Land Online for Timothée Chalamet Prequel

Warner Bros.' Timothée Chalamet starring Wonka is set to open in theaters in just under two weeks with first reviews of the eagerly anticipated film starting to roll in and while film may not exactly be a golden ticket as prequel stories go, there's already a good bit of praise for the film. Wonka is, at the time of this article's writing, sitting at an 80 percent on Rotten Tomatoes with 55 reviews, the general consensus being that while the film does have quite a bit going on, it's a lot of fun with colorful visuals, fun musical numbers, and delivers and overall enjoyable film.

Here's What Critics Are Saying About Wonka

"Wonka is, in fact, a lively, winsome pleasure, a film decidedly aimed at children that nonetheless incorporates some dark matter," Richard Lawson (Vanity Fair) wrote. AV Club's Courtney Howard was a little more positive, writing "Sweet yet never saccharine, their hyper-stylized portrait is not only powered by the pure imagination that inspires the songs' spectacle, but it's also filled with audacious flourishes of charm, whimsy, and poignancy."

Bleeding Cool's Kaitlyn Booth put the film in perspective with the classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, writing, "Wonka isn't a perfect film, but the combination of the whimsy and how earnest everything it is helps recapture the original movie's magic while presenting a new and unique experience."

Not all of the reviews were positive, however. The Hollywood Reporter's David Rooney felt that the character was stripped of his edge, writing, "Even if it's plausible that the young Wonka might not have developed the arrogant authoritarian side of the character as conceived by Dahl, Willy feels neutered here, stripped of any edge that made have made him interesting." TheWrap's William Bibbiana went a bit further, writing "Wonka is the sort of safe and corporate product that the hero of Wonka says we shouldn't settle for."

What Is Wonka About?

Here's what Warner Bros. has to say about the film: "From Paul King, writer/director of the Paddington films, David Heyman, producer of Harry Potter, Gravity, Fantastic Beasts and Paddington, and producers Alexandra Derbyshire (the "Paddington" films, "Jurassic World: Dominion") and Luke Kelly ("Roald Dahl's The Witches"), comes an intoxicating mix of magic and music, mayhem and emotion, all told with fabulous heart and humor.  Starring Timothée Chalamet in the title role, this irresistibly vivid and inventive big screen spectacle will introduce audiences to a young Willy Wonka, chock-full of ideas and determined to change the world one delectable bite at a time-proving that the best things in life begin with a dream, and if you're lucky enough to meet Willy Wonka, anything is possible."

"Starring alongside Chalamet are Calah Lane ("The Day Shall Come"), Emmy and Peabody Award winner Keegan-Michael Key ("The Prom," "Schmigadoon"), Paterson Joseph ("Vigil," "Noughts + Crosses"), Matt Lucas ("Paddington," "Little Britain"), Mathew Baynton ("The Wrong Mans," "Ghosts"), Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins ("The Shape of Water," the "Paddington" films, "Spencer"), Rowan Atkinson (the "Johnny English" and "Mr. Bean" films, "Love Actually"), Jim Carter ("Downton Abbey"), with Oscar winner Olivia Colman ("The Favourite," "The Lost Daughter") and Hugh Grant ("Paddington 2," "A Very English Scandal"). The film also stars Natasha Rothwell ("White Lotus," "Insecure"), Rich Fulcher ("Marriage Story," "Disenchantment"), Rakhee Thakrar ("Sex Education," "Four Weddings and a Funeral"), Tom Davis ("Paddington 2," "King Gary") and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith ("Paddington 2," "Zack Snyder's Justice League," "Mary Poppins Returns")."

Wonka opens in theaters December 15th.