Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

[Akeyata]

I love Gene Wilder, I think he's a genius.  But I HATED LOATHED, and DESPISED his version.  It was a horrible movie, it ruined the whole point of the book.

I am so excited to see this movie!

[Fellfrosch]

I quite liked his version of the movie. What did you so vociferously loathe about it?

[Entsuropi]

It wasn't a tim burton film.

[fuzzyoctopus]

This movie was so funny.  It was a good Friday Night choice.

Johnny Depp, even in a horrid haircut and creepy character can still make me swoon with those eyes.

[Akeyata]

It had nothing to do with the styling, thank you.  I hated it because it destroyed the whole point of the book--charlie and his grandpa were supposed to be the only good and respectful people in the tour, and the movie ruined that, and therefore screwed the whole ending.

[Gemm: Rock & Roll Star; Born to Rock]

I saw this today, and I thankfully enjoyed it. Now, lets not bicker and move along. Yes.

[Legion]

OK I saw the movie on Friday.  I loved the first one, sorry never got around to reading the book so I am not sure how it was suppose to be.  Here is my take on the new movie.  It was good, I like Johnny Depp, I however thought that the direction of where he was going with Willy was not a good choice, but what do I know.  With the first version of the movie it became a classic, this one I suspect will not be as popular.  However this version was very different from the first one and therefore made it much more enjoyable.  All and all it was a good movie, but I still like the first better.

[Tage]

I also saw this Friday, and I enjoyed it immensely. I have to say, I like this movie much more than the original, but as an adult. I think the other one is better for kids.

And I think Depp was an excellent choice for Wonka, but only because Burton made it that way. He presents a Wonka that's very nearly scared to death of the kids themselves. And when he smiles at them, you're not entirely sure he's not going to pull a knife on them.

Plus having Danny Elfman do the music was just the icing on the cake. It's worth the price of admission just to hear the Oompa Loompa songs.

[Akeyata]

Depp is an excellent choice for Wonka because Dahl made it that way.  That is EXACTLY the feeling you get when you read the book....or I suppose exactly the feeling I got when I read the book.  If Wonka really like kids all that much, he wouldn't be so grossed out and disgusted at what the other ones do.  He doesn't like or understand kids, he loves and worships the art of candy.

[Akeyata]

I don't really think any movie about this book is for kids, as far as that goes.  It's a great book for kids, who can use their imagination and not creep themselves out--but when it's visualized for them, it's a bit much, however you do it.  

[Legion]

In the book does he give his factory to a kid....if so why would he, since he hates them?  My understanding is that he hates people that a grown up because the are not as free as a childs mind.  But I have not read the book so I am not sure how the book is different from either movie.

[Akeyata]

he likes the wonder that he sees in SOME children (charlie for example), that he never sees in adults.  But most children have already lost their awe of life and act like adults in too many ways.  So while he prefers children to adults, he doesn't like children, he likes child-like qualities.

[Fellfrosch]

He gives his factory to a child because it's the only way he can assure himself that it will go to someone with the right mix of wonder, excitement, and love of candy. He has to grab his new CEO while he still loves candy for its own sake, and not because of its business potential.

[Patrick Gibbs]

I agree with Akeyata's point that Johnny Depp's Wonka is what Dahl made him, as well as what Burton made him. Depp and Burton really have a handle on the character as Dahl wrote him. While I am fond of the Wilder film, I also think she makes a good point about Charlie and Grandpa Joe misbehaving. I hate it when a film adaption loses the meaning, which is why I hate "The Count of Monte Cristo" so very much.

This is one of those movies that everyone seems to be stuck on one extreme or the other, either thinking the old version was a classic and the new one is a travesty, or thinking that the old version got it all wrong (as Dahl himself felt) and that the new version fianlly gets it right. For me, personally, I find this to be a rare case where both versions can be thoroughly enjoyed. But certainly Burton's film is much closer to Dahl's original work.

[Bill Snyder]

I think this argument about whehther the Jonnhy Depp version, or the Gene Wilder version, is better is ridiculous.

By far my favorite version was the 1992 Robert Englund version, "Willy Wonka: Death by Chocolate," but admittedly, I mostly liked that one because of the nudity.