Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Forums: Movies, Michael Jackson, Willie Wonka, Matthew Broderick, Ferris Bueller
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So I recently borrowed Charlie and the Chocolate Factory from the library just to see how it compared to Willie Wonka.

For a few years I pondered whether to watch this movie or not. To tell you the truth, I was somewhat fearful that today's Hollywood would have ruined it by putting in low-grade humor such as bodily functions and sex jokes, etc.

I was pleased that they did not. In fact, I rather enjoyed the movie. In some ways I felt it was improved over the original, but in others I felt the original was better.

As you know, "suspension of disbelief" is what a good audience member must practice in order to fully enjoy a production. What I had the hardest time with was getting the images of Matthew Broderick as Ferris Bueller (he made cutesy faces when convincing his parents he was sick) and of Michael Jackson (effeminate and much a child) out of my head whenever Johnny Depp had a scene.

What are your thoughts regarding this movie?

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@GeneralTsao,

I hated the backstory. It was so unnecessary and put this weird American gloss on the whole thing.

There doesn't need to be a backstory -- Willy Wonka is a candy impresario, full stop. That makes perfect sense to kids -- who wouldn't want to do what Willy Wonka does? -- and Roald Dahl was great at speaking directly to kids without grown-up explanatory nonsense.

Maybe hampered by the backstory business (and those huge, horrible teeth), I think Johnny Depp was OK but not great.

The overall look of the movie was pretty cool, and I did like the Oompa-Loompas and their evil little dances. That hit the right note of cute/ appealing and menacing/ evil I think.

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agree with the backstory thing soz, why is that so important, i haven't seen the grinch movie but from what bits i've seen i'm guessing they gave him a backstory too, if so totally unnecessary, i much prefer the original, gene wilder had the right amount of creepiness to make the film work

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Speaking of creepy, Wilder's Wonka didn't make me feel like, "eeew, child molester."

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I also liked both (and also did not like the "back story". I thought Johnny Depp was very creepy in the movie - not sure if it made it better or worse, but just gave it a different twist to it. Gene Wilder was much more likeable Wonka - still a strange guy, but likeable. I don't think Depp was very likeable more creepy - I would get nightmares about his Wonka.

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@Linkat,

The book had a darker feel that kept with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory more so than Willie Wonka to me. I didn't care for the back story but it didn't take anything away from the movie for me. I think Tim Burton stuck with the book a lot more except for that. But I like them both. They are two seperate movies to me.

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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

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