Early reactions to Paul King’s Wonka, starring Timothee Chalamet, have surfaced, and most of them have praised the film while also showing some doubts about its storyline. Despite earning the ‘fresh’ title, the movie’s Rotten Tomatoes (RT) score disappoints. Here’s how!
At present, Wonka’s RT score stands at 80%, based on 60 reviews. This score looks impressive, yet it will manage to disappoint a lot of ‘Willy Wonka’ fans.
Both Gene Wilder’s Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) and Johnny Depp’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) took inspiration from Roald Dahl’s 1964 novel. Their current RT scores stand at 91% (based on 56 reviews) and 83% (based on 228 reviews), respectively. These stats make Wonka the lowest-rated entry in the franchise.
By no means 80% is a low score, but it shows that critics have more divided opinions about the latest Timothee Chalamet starrer. And this value may go down after its worldwide release on December 15.
Another reason why Wonka’s ‘good but not great’ RT score looks disappointing is its director, Paul King, the acclaimed helmer of Paddington films. The first Paddington entry (2014) and its 2017 sequel have 97% (based on 152 reviews) and 99% (based on 253 reviews) on Rotten Tomatoes, respectively. As compared to the standards set by these flicks, King’s latest directional feature disappoints.
It will be interesting to see how Wonka performs after its worldwide release in terms of critical and audience reception. Stay tuned for more updates.