The origin of Willy Wonka…

This is something of an odd movie. Its high production values, music and casting mean that you have an enjoyable time while watching, even if there are some real questions thrown up by some of the choices made by the producers (Hugh Grant’s character being one of the chief ones). It’s definitely one of those movies that you wonder why it was made – who has really wanted to know how Wonka had the factory? It’s enough that he does for the purposes of the earlier films – and of necessity, some of Roald Dahl’s sharper edges are lost along the way. (You can read our fuller review here.)

The picture and the sound quality on the digital check disc were good, and there’s around 45 minutes of extras broken into different bits – as with so many releases, these would probably have benefitted from being one edited documentary, but producers seem frightened of audience’s attention span for such things (forgetting the fact that often they’re accompanying three-hour long movies!). The one that you wouldn’t find on any other film, though, is the interview with the chocolatier on the movie!

Verdict: It’s not up there with The Greatest Showman as a great 21st century film musical, but it’s an enjoyable whimsy. 7/10

Paul Simpson