Nathan Baseley

Too many things going on and unlikeable, unrelateable characters made this a disappointing watch. The central premise is a missing child case with a professional puppeteer father who becomes obsessed with the idea that if he brings the boy’s drawings of a monster to life that somehow that’ll save the son. Along the way we explore the daddy issues between father and son, and the father and his father. There are marital issues, there are employment issues. There are issues in the city. There’s similar historical vases, there’s internal police drama, there’s a period element with 1980s homophobia and capitalism with its effect on city homelessness. Amongst this noise, the puppet seems to come alive in the father’s head and we are treated to the spectacle of Benedict Cumberbatch watching around a serious 80s New York alongside a giant muppet (not officially a muppet). It makes for great trailer shots and front imagery for Netflix but it doesn’t ultimately add much. If anything. An internal monologue? A sense of two minds in one? I dunno - seems like the writers hit a brick wall with it or were more interested in other characters. Speaking of which, practically the only character I had any sympathy for or attachment to was the police detective. We see his home life, some significant drama there, some hints of racial dynamics from the time, his professional desires butting up against invisible walls and ceilings in the police force. On the other hand the central family including the boy are so deeply in likeable that it undermines the search for him. And if that was the point, then I’m afraid they didn’t bring that together with the obvious parallel that emerged later. Points for doing something different. It felt novel; the father having an imaginary friend, it’s a workplace we’ve never seen before and even the police stuff felt new somehow. For me the rich elements didn’t come together in a satisfying way. Thematically too much was stated rather than felt.

It’s a musical in an exaggerated and magical version of our world. Do not expect darkness or great character depth. Expect spectacle, sparkle and joy. It feels close to Paddington (no surprise) and Mary Poppins. It is as sweet as the bountiful chocolates. It brings a lot of new ideas to Wonka, borrowed in some cases from the likes of Les Miserables. It’s a companion piece to Wilder’s story told later in life. And by its conclusion there’s a lot of space between this and the original movie. Dahl left enough hooks to potentially fill this in and I would be delighted to see more.

I was very apprehensive having loved the original for decades. But this truly does justice to its predecessor. It's almost pure joy and I weapt with happiness throughout. I needn't have feared. What a beautiful, brilliant film.