Wonka

Not adoption/foster care friendly- do not recommend for young children who may be impacted by seeing a totally unrealistic story of finding one's birth parent. I don't want to take away from the amazing acting in the film, or the music, but the writers should have done their due diligence around the topic of foster care, or as they put it "damaged orphans". I saw it with my children who were in foster care, and realized I should have done more research, when, 5 minutes in, Willy was introduced by the inn keeper to the "damaged orphan" girl. For the record, this little actress is absolutely amazing and going to be a big star. But, the vast majority of kids are NOT being held hostage away from their perfectly fit parent who lives in the child's fantasy favorite place (library). I had such high hopes that Willy would continue to care for the child, but what I realize is that future Willy doesn't have a heir or a family (hence the whole reason for the future storyline and golden ticket), so the writers needed a cute little girl to partner with Willy for ratings, then had to tie a bow on her story by going the perfectly lazy "Storks" Tulip route and reunite her at the end with her mother, who looks just like her (of course, as children "should" is the message here), who is perfectly able to take her in with open arms. Absolutely infuriating to have kids 7-10 years old leave the theater with the message that their birth family was "less than". Honestly, my disdain for this part of the storyline far over-shadows anything good I have to say about the rest of the movie. Lazy writing, poor research, dumb ending.

The plot itself was okay. It was a good way to tie in Wonka’s random ingredients and such. It was a nice addition to the series. The only thing seriously wrong with the movie was the disrespect they treated a church with. They had all monks and the priest be corrupted by chocolate sellers.They had a priest answer the phone at the pulpit as well as be rude during a funeral. At one point they even had a giraffe run through the church. There was no reason to put the church in to this movie. It could have been a corrupt bank for godness sake. There was no reason to treat a church like a joke and center for the villains in this movie.

While the film was well made I wanted to provide some words of caution for parents on the fence. 1. There are definitely some scary parts scattered all throughout the film which was very overwhelming for my younger child (age 7). 2. There were some very unkind (to say kindly) characters who are scary and caused my 7 year old to burst into tears. 3. There are a lot of mature/adult themes in the film including loss, abandonment, and death. 4. If you have a child with any early childhood trauma or loss this movie is likely NOT for you. 5. If you have a child who has been adopted and is still young this movie is likely NOT for you. That said, my nine year old really enjoyed it and didn't feel it was scary at all. He was disappointed we needed to leave in the last 20 minutes since my 7 year old couldn't take it anymore.

Absolutely fantastic film! As a Christian mother with conservative values, I am particularly cautious about what I allow my children (boys ages 3 and 7) to watch. Initially, I felt uninterested in seeing this movie and was sure it would it be a flop. I simply felt that a backstory prequel to the Willie Wonka franchise was wholly unnecessary. After reading several reviews by other viewers, I made the leap to see it with my son. I cannot stress enough how wrong I was in my initial assumptions! Wonka is a surprisingly fun, heartfelt, and entertaining movie that both myself and my 7-year-old son thoroughly enjoyed. Wonka's character displays outstanding integrity, a wonderfully optimistic perspective even in the most grim of circumstances, acts selflessly towards the needs of others, demonstrates compassion and empathy, and consistently maintains a spirit of curiosity and innovation. Wonka makes decisions throughout the film that make him a positive role model for both children and adults alike, including choosing the good of others over his own desires and speaking against corrupt behaviors such as stealing. While the film was mostly positive, there are some elements that parents should be aware of - although nothing that I feel deems the movie strongly inappropriate by any means. These elements include numerous references to alcohol and drunkenness. For example, Wonka makes a special chocolate that intoxicates the recipient(s) who go through a series of drunken behaviors such as dancing and calling past love interests before passing out. Additionally, there are a few mildly sexual references that include a male wearing mid-thigh shorts and displaying flirtatious behavior towards a woman and the same man wearing a feminine robe while in the presence of the female love interest. There are some fat-shaming and lower income-shaming jokes as well as some violence like hitting, attempted murder, and a police officer dunking Wonka's head in water. One of the villains in the film is a Catholic priest who makes several passive aggressive comments regarding sin and judgement from God, including the statement "you will stand for judgement one day, but not today" as well as certain members of the "chocolate cartel" that rolls their eyes when saying "Father forgive me" when attempting to gain access to their secret vault. Personally, I felt comfortable addressing these minor issues in the film with my son through age-appropriate discussion and did not feel that these elements caused need for great concern. The story impressed on viewers the importance of family and friendships, moral integrity, courage, and unconventionality. There were plenty of thrills, laugh-inducing scenes, and moments that deeply tug at the heartstrings. Wonka's genuineness, loyalty, and commitment to do what is right made the film something truly special and a must-see for families looking for movies that display strong moral character.

My 7 year old didn't enjoy this. And honestly, I agree with him that it was a bit too scary. It felt like the whole movie was peril and sad. Wonka or others were always in danger or in trouble. So many mean/evil characters. So much danger. And a bit too much fatphobic content for 2024 (the police officer grows in size throughout the movie after being bribed with one too many chocolates by the chocolate cartel). I wouldn't recommend this for under 8, and even then, if your child is sensitive, you may not want to choose this film.

I know this movie was made to appeal kids but it was just cringe. I’ve watched the Willy Wonka movie with Gene Wilder throughout my childhood and was really expecting to see a better backstory. I don’t care for Timothee Chalamet as wonka at all. He was trying too hard the whole time and it came across very poorly. I went with my little cousins (11 and 4) and they were bored the whole time. I really like the Roald Dahl vibe to the movie however, very bright very colorful and a bit silly at times. But I do not think it should be advertised as the Gene Wilder wonka prequel. There couldve been so much potential for this movie but unfortunately it did not hit the mark. Disappointed really.

Worst movie I have ever seen. Lacked everything needed in a good movie and was flat out boring. Bad representation of the 1900’s. Horrible actors were picked for the movie and script writing was horrible. Wanted to leave in the first 15 minutes of the movie.

Such a wonderful, heartwarming and fun film! A fantastic story, full of adventure and lots of laughs. as well as fantastic music! A few moments might be a bit scary for very young, sensitive viewers. The central messages are that the people you love are the most important things…and that when life gets hard, keep moving forward. Overall, a beautiful movie that will leave ALL ages feeling joyful!

Turned it off. The tonnes of negative reviews were right with this one. Firstly, who the hell wants to watch a Willy Wonka film WITHOUT a chocolate factory? My kids were bored, as was I. Wish I never watched this film as it has slightly ruined the original for me. Race swapped characters. Disjointed cast. Sloppy story line. Dark and dingy grading. Forgettable music. Embarrassing script. There was soooooo much wrong with it that I can’t simply list it all. I literally can’t remember when my family was last enchanted by a kids movie. Incredibly disappointed, could have been something special. It’s not a prequel, it’s more corporate manufactured fan fiction. Roald Dahl would be incredibly offended with this adaption!

Wonka was pretty good. The beginning was really slow. I cried some at the end, lol. It's more singing than usual. My favorite is still Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, though. The storyline in Wonka is a little confusing since it's based on the original, and it shows some hints for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I didn't like that they only used the oompa loompa near the end and not the entire movie. I feel they should've based it off of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory instead. Willy Wonka was never best friends with a girl, so they shouldn't of changed it up. I would like to see another movie made, but more improvements. The main problem I had is how they promoted this movie. Restaurants/Fast food sell Wonka stuff, but no chocolate. This movie is literally based on chocolate, so how could you not sell chocolate and a Wonka bar like the other ones did? They need to come out with Wonka bars again!!!