Wonka fans brand film ‘a whimsical treasure and delight’ – with Timothee Chalamet’s performance as the chocolatier enchanting moviegoers

Moviegoers weren't disappointed by Wonka following its theatrical release on Friday, which tells the origin story of Roald Dahl's famous chocolatier.

Those who made the trip to see the film, which stars Timothee Chalamet as the title character, came up with glowing references about an “amazing,” “glorious” and “creepy” adventure.

One viewer even admitted that the experience brought them to tears.

They said: 'I'm probably the first to say this, but there were sobs in the cinema and Timothee, singing pure imagination, was the perfect bow to tie that heartfelt moment together.'

Wonka also stars Keegan-Michael Key, Matt Lucas, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, Olivia Colman, Hugh Grant and newcomer Calah Lane.

Moviegoers have praised the new Wonka film after its full-length theatrical release tells the origin story of Roald Dahl's famed chocolatier, played by Timothee Chalamet

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'It's an absolute pleasure! So full of whimsy and charm, music and color – I was smiling from start to finish…Wonka is an absolute delight. I loved it.'

Others were encouraged to “definitely check it out if you get the chance.”

Unsurprisingly, the lead actor received particular praise.

Fans of the Dune actor's show added: 'I went to see Wonka today and it was amazing! I loved it so much, and Timothee was AMAZING!…

“I had so much fun with Wonka; it's wonderfully wholesome and the songs were incredibly catchy.

'Also enjoyed Chalamet's turn as a chocolatier – the guy can sing and dance!'

Other cast members were also picked, including Hugh Grant, despite the controversy surrounding his selection for the role as Oompah-Loompah.

George Coppen, whose father played an Ewok in Star Wars, argued that the role should have been offered to an actor with dwarfism.

But one viewer of the film said on opening day – December 8 in Britain -: “Hugh Grant has nailed the Oompa-Loompa!”

And there were also questions about whether the spin-off was necessary, but one viewer admitted to being pleasantly surprised by the prequel.

“Wonka was the biggest surprise of the year for me,” they said.

“My expectations were low for a prequel that I felt was unnecessary and unwanted. I was wrong. It was a whimsical, charming and overwhelmingly entertaining experience.”

The lead role received high praise, as did Hugh Grand, despite his role as Oompah-Loompah being criticized in the film's structure.

Those who did not make the trip to view Wonka on opening day were encouraged to do so if they had the chance

The director also received praise.

Paul King has previously had success with the two Paddington films, and Wonka seems to have followed their lead when it comes to playful fun.

“Paul King surprised me with Wonka as the sugar-coated goodness had me smiling from head to toe,” one X user wrote.

'It treads familiar territory, but can easily be excused because of the beautiful nature.

“Timothee Chalamet is just so much fun. I was carried away into the world of imagination.'

Brian Viner of The Ny Breaking awarded the film two out of five stars. He said: “Chalamet was an understandable choice as the youthful Wonka, not least because there are crowds of young people who almost swoon at the mention of his name.

'Chalamet is too healthy for this role, and never quite finds the charisma he needs to fully engage us as a song-and-dance man, in a film that also feels too derivative by half.

'Poor but cheerfully ambitious, Willy wants to make his fortune in a city that is a kind of hybrid of Dickens London and Belle Epoque Paris.

Unfortunately, his plans to set up a fantastic chocolate shop using skills taught to him by his late beloved mother (Sally Hawkins, seen in flashback) soon go awry as he is trapped in a workhouse run by the nasty Mrs. Scrubbit (Olivia Colman). , which channels Catherine Tate's crabby 'nan').

Another inmate in the workhouse laundry is Abacus Crunch (Jim Carter), the genius former accountant for the city's unscrupulous chocolate cartel, Slugworth (Patterson Joseph), Fickelgruber (Matthew Baynton) and Prodnose (Matt Lucas).

“This dastardly trio has the chocolate-addicted police chief (Keegan-Michael Key) on their payroll, not to mention a conniving clergyman (Rowan Atkinson). So even when Willy escapes the wash with the help of his feisty young accomplice Noodle (newcomer Calah Lane), the odds are stacked against him.

“The cartel, grudgingly recognizing his genius, must do everything they can to stop him. And he has another apparent enemy: a villainous Oompa Loompa (Hugh Grant, bizarrely shrunken by CGI).

He added: “There are some fun moments as this all unfolds, and some good jokes – and a few others that are straight up jokes. When Willy has to milk a giraffe (to make his giraffe milk macaroons, of course), it turns out that he has milked one before, in Africa.'

Willy Wonka's origin story – based on Roald Dahl's 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – has yet to hit US cinemas, arriving on the other side of the Atlantic on December 15.

The director, Paul King, also received praise as the film was a sequel to his equally enjoyable Paddington films

Chalamet reportedly earned $9 million to play the titular character Varietybeating Tom Holland, Donald Glover, Ezra Miller and Ryan Gosling to the position.

The eccentric genius, who took pleasure in punishing naughty children, was memorably created by Gene Wilder in Mel Stuart's beloved 1971 classic Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.

Wonka's absence of an explanation for his star's more sinister character traits is an area that has attracted criticism, or at least disappointment.

Dahl's depiction of his famous Oompa-Loompas in the first edition of the book described them as almost black-colored pygmies “imported directly from Africa!”

Nearly 60 years later, Chapter 16 of the latest edition of the book has been significantly changed, with Wonka telling the children that the Oompa-Loompas were in fact “imported straight from Loompaland.”

At the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre, in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, a sign was hung at the entrance in the summer declaring that the writer's racism was 'undeniable and indelible'.