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Charlie And The Chocolate Factory

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I was reluctant to see this movie as the book had been a favorite of mine as a child and was a fan of the movie made in 71'. I really couldn't think of any way they could possibly make it better. However, this movie exceeded my expectations and more. The special effects, sets, costumes and scenery were exquisite. They kept all the cute parts from the 71' movie but added a lot more.

There are many new scenes added that enhance the story and let you get to know Willy Wonka a lot better. You see how he built his candy empire using his genius. There is also an underlying theme that hard work will get you through tough times. While this was definitely not Depp's best performance everything else more than makes up for it. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to any Dahl fan. Has anyone else seen it? What were your thoughts?

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I saw it and honestly loved it! It is a wonderful, benevolent story about a boy who values the right things; his family, his happiness, etc.

It is also a very moral movie in the Aristotle sense; each "room" is a testing ground fo the virtue or vice of a child. In the end, the child with the most virtue won-pretty amazing :).

Mix that in with a very pro-capitalist Willy Wonka (giant factory as heaven, self-made, loved innovation, couldn't stand parasites, etc.) and you have a wonderful movie that I am seeing for the third time today ;).

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  • 2 weeks later...
I saw it and honestly loved it!  It is a wonderful, benevolent story about a boy who values the right things; his family, his happiness, etc.

It is also a very moral movie in the Aristotle sense; each "room" is a testing ground fo the virtue or vice of a child.  In the end, the child with the most virtue won-pretty amazing :ninja:.

Mix that in with a very pro-capitalist Willy Wonka (giant factory as heaven, self-made, loved innovation, couldn't stand parasites, etc.) and you have a wonderful movie that I am seeing for the third time today B).

It's a wonderful piece of work, and far truer to the vision of Dahl's book than the original.

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It is indeed!

I have seen it 4 times :confused:.

In an interview Depp said he played Wonka as an obsessive compulsive, horrified by dirt, disorder and people in general. This undoubtedly fuels one of my favourite moments - Wonka's response to one of the obnoxious children when he introduces himself, "I don't care". The way he pronounces the line as if he had trodden in something unpleasant cracks me up.

By the by, I have resurrected your Quixote thread over in aesthetics.

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I thought it was fun, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't seen the other movie and read the book . . . as it was the story was a bit too predictable. But it was WELL worth the matinee price.

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Depp was, once again, the Star of the Film. And I don't just mean that he had the largest role.

I continue to be amazed, from movie after movie, at the pure acting ability of Depp. What is most interesting about Willy Wonka (Like Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean), is that Depp devised everything from the costume to the makeup to the character, all on his own. This is him acting, not a director ordering him to be a certain way.

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We'll I guess I'm the odd man out on this one. I didn't care for the movie. It was technically great, but the writing was "off", and overall it wasn't any fun. For example, in the original movie, which if I remember correctly Dahl wrote the screenplay for, Willie sings a charming song in the "Candy Room". When the door opens there is a sense of excitment and wonder that's lacking in Burton's version. Gene Wiler brought a loving charm to the roll that Depp lacked...he just seemed weird. Joe Morgenstern at the Wall Street Journal put it best..."engagement without entertainment."

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I thought it was an amazing movie. Wonka really reminded me of a wierd Hank Rearden in some ways, he was so protective and so proud of his work, and he knew that he was the best at what he did. I loved the line when Grandpa Joe says he used to work there and Wonka said, something along the lines of "You weren't one of those parasitic copycatting cads were you," and i just thought that that was so cool. And i love the way this movie took a man who loved his work and his life was his work and they didn't show him in a negative light. I thought is was an excellent movie and very well acted

"...It's the greatest gum in the whole universe! Do you know why? Do ya?"

Edited by Rogue
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  • 2 weeks later...
I saw it and honestly loved it!  It is a wonderful, benevolent story about a boy who values the right things; his family, his happiness, etc.

It is also a very moral movie in the Aristotle sense; each "room" is a testing ground fo the virtue or vice of a child.  In the end, the child with the most virtue won-pretty amazing :thumbsup:.

Mix that in with a very pro-capitalist Willy Wonka (giant factory as heaven, self-made, loved innovation, couldn't stand parasites, etc.) and you have a wonderful movie that I am seeing for the third time today :nuke:.

Just saw it yesterday, and I completely agree with you. I'll add that I think it's a must-see for every parent. The four rotten children express the typical vices of today's children, and their downfall was well-deserved. IMO they should've added the prototypical "hip-hop" child that dresses with his pants hanging off his knees.
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Well, I'm iffy about this one. There were many aspects of the old one that I never liked, like the "old" feel. The movie was clearly from the 70's, which I am not fond of. The style of the whole decade never sat well with me for some reason. The new version definitely got rid of that feel and left a clean, modern one.

But I was downright appalled with Burton's portrayal of the Oompa Loompas! Am I alone on this? Every time a kid was about to get the boot I was like "Oh hell, here comes another hideous pop music video." It was painful to sit through. The Oompa Loompa chant was a classic part of the movie and Burton just completely did away with it in exchange for mainstream appeal. 13 year olds who spend every afternoon at the mall will be thrilled by this, but not someone who has realized that there is VERY little musical talent/value involved with that garbage. My rule of thumb: if the main component of the band next to the frontperson is a mixer, keep it away from me.

Ok, musical rant over. I am a big Tim Burton fan. I don't think I've ever seen a Burton film I didn't like. No doubt he brought many improvements and to the table and indeed

provided us with an entertaining final product. Better than the first? It does lack the childhood emotional wonder of the original, and I can't overlook the god-aweful Oompa Loompa scenes, but all in all I would watch this again before I'd watch the original.

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Well, I'm iffy about this one. There were many aspects of the old one that I never liked, like the "old" feel. The movie was clearly from the 70's, which I am not fond of. The style of the whole decade never sat well with me for some reason. The new version definitely got rid of that feel and left a clean, modern one.

I greatly preferred the original, myself, in practically every area. Gene Wilder's portrayal was witty, humorous, enigmatic, and intelligent overall. He was a likeable character. Depp's character was completely neurotic, disintegrated, and definitely modernized. There is no way I could look at that character and think that he was a brilliant businessman and inventor. As you note the original songs were far better as well. This was one re-make that shouldn't have happened.

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  • 3 weeks later...

There are spoilers in this post.

I love Dahl's books but I admit I have not read CC&tCF yet. This leaves me with a question. In the original story, is there a subplot about Wonka having an "evil dentist father"? That was absolutely the worst part of the movie and really killed my enjoyment. Instead of Wonka making chocolates because he really loves them, it's turned into the quasi-psychological (and horrible to watch) sad story about oral torture devices.

As for Tim Burton's take on the movie, I honestly think it was just totally overdone at points. The "poor shack" Charlie lived in looked more like an architectural wonder with it's furiously slanted door.

These two points aside, the story and visuals were just wonderful. For those who don't know, movies were also made of Matilda (yay!), James and the Giant Peach, and Witches, to name but a few.

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There are spoilers in this post.

I love Dahl's books but I admit I have not read CC&tCF yet.  This leaves me with a question.  In the original story, is there a subplot about Wonka having an "evil dentist father"? 

I read the book as a kid, I don't recall any such reference and I think it was totally made up by Burton.

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