By Rachel R.
What do Timothee Chalamet, Hugh Grant, Michael Keegan, and more of me share? It is a fact that we all were in attendance for Warner Brothers Studio’s Production of “Wonka” for the LA premiere. Thank you to CTVA-102 for the opportunity of a lifetime. With this being my first ever movie premiere it was all that I could hope for. The moment I stepped into the venue, a rush of excitement was felt through the air. To the young children running the halls of the theatre or adults who were dressed in the theme for the occasion.
The only word that came to mind being in the venue was nervous. Nervous about where we’re going to sit and nervous about the fact that I was going to see A-list celebrities. The first task of the night was to figure out exactly where our seats were. If you approach the venue there are three doors to enter the lower theatre. If you walk further the stairs that lead to the balcony are in the dead center of the venue. There was this idea in my mind in which I expected to be seated in the very top. After taking the whole crowd in, we (me and my sister) finally decided to find our seats. We approached the middle door of the lower level. The usher then told us to enter through the last door of the lower level. A sigh of relief filled my nerves because we were going to be sitting at the bottom of the theatre. Then we began our journey to our seats. It was interesting being in this environment because I find theaters to be a comforting place but this was just hectic. About halfway through this long aisle, another usher approached. She showed us exactly where our seats were. She said “Row B.” Then a sudden feeling of nerves dropped in my stomach. We walked closer and closer to the front. Finally, we were sat in the second row in the first two seats on the left. A perfect spot to see the cast up close but not a good spot to watch a movie. I can happily say I saw Timothee Chalamet standing about 5 inches away from me, as well as the rest of the cast. It was a surreal experience for sure. Also, I want to mention that the venue was filled to the brim with celebrities and Tik-Tokers. A couple of people who we spotted included John Stamos, Xochitl Gomez, and Tessa Brooks. A random combination of people for sure.
The film “Wonka” explores how Willy Wonka became to be the world-famous Chocolatier. It was a journey of sadness, triumph, and humor. A light-hearted comedy that should be watched with the family. One important factor of this film that is not exclusively revealed in the trailers or anywhere, is the fact that it is a MUSICAL. If you have two hours to spare and want to watch Timothee Chalamet sing his heart out, I have news for you. Coming into this film, I already knew that this plays a huge role in the film. I don’t have any problems with musicals, but I know a lot of people do. That is why for the marketing approach it is interesting to see they took a different route in advertising this film. Now the music had a show-tune vibe to it. I enjoyed about one song out of the whole discography. I wouldn’t have the soundtrack on repeat like I do for other films. Now, I do think you have to watch the music and dancing all at once to see the vision that is playing out. If you are a theatre kid and love Timothee Chalamet, it has your name written all over it.
Overall, my rating for this film is going to have to be 3.5/5. It wasn’t the worst or best movie I have seen all year. It was about average. I had a nice time watching it but it didnt dazzle me on move me. Now, Would I recommend watching this? Not if you dont like theatre but yes if you are a theatre kid.
