It doesn't come close to the Gene Wilder original - but this prequel is knowing, fantastical, and full of heart.

Wonka, like the Paddington films is something special in its own right, a labour of love from a team who have spared no expense or effort to give us all a Christmas treat. So come along one and all, bring the grandparents or the grandkids.

At its best, “Wonka” can be melt-in-your-mouth fun, but what it lacks is weirdness — the very thing that made Dahl’s stories, and the earlier “Wonka” movies, so memorable.

A defanged reimagining of Dahl’s celebrated chocolatier, giving him an origin story so thoroughly toothless you’d think sugar-induced cavities might have been the culprit.