Wonka! Film Review

Kerrigan Peterson reviews one of the latest theatrical releases, Wonka!

Image Credit: Warner Bros

Wonka, starring Timothee Chalamet and Calah Lane, is set to come to theaters December 15th. The movie follows a young Willy Wonka and serves as a prequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The film was announced by Warner Bros in 2021, and after two years of work is finally ready for release to the public.

The movie caused quite a bit of controversy when the cast was announced amidst the SAG-AFTRA strike.

However, this was not the only issue surrounding the film. While many are happy to see their favorite stars, actors with dwarfism began to complain. In an interview (via BBC), George Coppen, an actor with dwarfism, spoke out about how other dwarf actors feel like they are being pushed out of the industry. This isn’t the only movie that’s stirred up controversy for the same reason.

Disney’s Snow White has circled the internet, not only because of the movie’s leading lady, but the fact because there is only one dwarf actor out of all the iconic seven dwarfs.

Controversy aside, many Franklin High School students are still looking forward to seeing the movie.

FHS Senior, Onasis De Freitas, had a comment on it. When asked how she expected the cast to perform, she said, “...Timothee Chalamet displays a great performance in all his movies, so ‘Wonka’ definitely won’t be any different. The cast will also add to the storytelling of Wonka.” While the production may have negative feedback from the press, it still has positive feedback from future viewers around the world.

Though the movie has not been released yet, it’s predicted to have a 20-23 million dollar opening.

The supporting cast also includes Hugh Grant, Olivia Coleman, and Keegan-Michael Key (to name a few).