Benedict Cumberbatch's new Netflix movie The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is already being raved about - and it’s not even out for a few more weeks.
Directed by the one-and-only Wes Anderson, the short film is based on one of Roald Dahl’s beloved short stories.
According to Netflix, it tells the tale of ‘a rich man who learns about a guru who can see without using his eyes and then sets out to master the skill in order to cheat at gambling'.
Alongside Cumberbatch in the lead role, the film also stars Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley, Dev Patel and Richard Ayoade.
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The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar isn’t set to be released on UK Netflix until 27 September.
However, it’s already proving to be a smash as it currently holds a coveted 100 percent rating from the critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
New York Magazine called it ‘delightful’, with The Playlist writing: “Wes Anderson and Roald Dahl is one of cinema’s most well-matched marriages and this one is a whimsically wonderful anthology.”
The Daily Telegraph echoed this as they wrote: “Against the odds, Anderson has turned out to be perhaps the greatest interpreter of Dahl we have."
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The Times put: “The book, of course, is one of the sweetest Dahls written (see Henry’s surname). And it’s now become a perfectly precise blast of finest Anderson.”
London Evening Standard called it: "Wonderful by name, wonderful by nature. Wes Anderson's 39-minute adaptation of Roald Dahl's homonymous story is a truly gorgeous creation."
IndieWire wrote: “Yet another vital chapter in the filmmaker’s career-long obsession with self-understanding in a senseless world.”
While Hollywood Reporter said it was: “Small but perfectly crafted.”
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And Total Film wrote: “Whimsy with a capital W that unleashes Anderson’s arsenal of quirks. Truly marvellous medicine for fans, but could be a broken record for those who aren’t.”
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar will be the second of Dahl’s works to hit Netflix, after the 2022 release of Matilda the Musical in cinemas.
Netflix acquired the Roald Dahl Story Company back in September 2021 for a whopping $686 million (£545m).
This latest film will be Anderson’s shortest yet at just 37 minutes.
The director previously spoke to IndieWire about the partnership with Netflix, saying: “Because it’s a 37-minute movie, it was the perfect place to do it because it’s not really a movie.
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“You know they used to do these BBC things called ‘Play for Today’ directed by people like Steven Frears and John Schlesinger and Alan Clarke. They were one hour programs or even less. I kind of envisioned something like that.”
Topics: Netflix, TV and Film, Celebrity
Jess Battison