*Spoilers Attached*

 

This weekend, I had the chance to spend $65 for four people to attend the movies. With the exception of ROTS, I haven't been this amped to see a movie in a long time. So I settle in and really expect it to blow my mind.

 

It didn't.

 

Here is what worked better and what failed when compared to the original Gene Wilder classic.

 

Willy Wonka - I always thought Gene Wilder's Wonka was pure genius. So relaxed, unforced and bored with the actions of the children. The out-of-control rage at the end exhibited toward Charlie and Grandpa Joe. The quirky one-liners that can go completely over your head (as they often do with my students) but make so much sense. On the other hand, we have Depp's Wonka that adds to the Legend of Depp. Perverse, feminine, cold and giddy. He pulls it off and the added dimension of his problems with his father only add more depth to the character who has always been an enigma. For what they were attempting, both guys pulled it off perfectly.

Edge: Even

 

 

Charlie Bucket and Family - The original Charlie seemed so much more likeable than the new Charlie. I think this is more due to Burton's influence than to anything the boys did. He was intentionally made to look creepy whereas I had more sympathy for the original. The first one had a job, bought bread for his family, and was missing his father. The new Charlie just seemed ignorant.

 

Where Burton really got it right was the supporting Buckets. Putting Charlie's father back in the mix was true to the book. The new Grandpa Joe could have passed for either version whereas the original would have looked out of place in the remake. Both had their comedic moments, mainly when the golden ticket arrives at the Bucket doorstep and they both get out of bed. The real standout, however, is Grandpa George who doesn't merely stay in bed but gives his two cents whether it is needed or not. He plays the perfect foil to Grandpa Joe as the reasonable grandparent even in an unreasonable situation (like sharing a bed with three other seniors). Then Grandma Georgina throws in a few comic moments and you have a much better support group than the first movie.

 

Edge: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

 

 

Oompa-Loompas - This was hard for me to come to grips with. On one hand, I think Deep Roy does a fantastic job playing hundreds of Oompa-Loompas. I also appreciate the flashback showing how they came to the Chocolate Factory. Much more believable than the little orange midgets who pranced around the first flick. Then we break into the songs. In the new flick, each song following a child's demise sounds so plastic and uninspired. Disco tracks, techno tracks, etc. seemed so gimmicky that I doubt any of the tracks will last in people's minds longer than the summer. Then you have the original Oompa-Loompa songs, songs that have stood the test of time, that still have kids who see the movie making fun of the short, fat kid in school by using the familiar chorus within earshot. Maybe that is a bad thing but it is something that sticks with you despite the disconnect in pop music. I doubt that Deep Roy's OOmpa Loompa will replace the image of little orange men

 

Edge: Close but Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

 

 

The Bad Kids and their Parents

 

Augustus Gloop - No difference. Either one could be in both movies and you wouldn't tell the difference. Same thing for the mother.

 

Violet Beauregarde - Quite frankly, I enjoyed the original Violet more. I thought the Blueberry scene was better, even with less technology at their disposal and I thought Violet's used-car dad was more effective than the soccer-mom who pushes her kid too hard.

 

Veruca Salt - This one is close because both girls got under my skin and both pulled the role off perfectly. Like the rest of the cast, the Burton one was a little oo creepy for my tastes where I believed the original could actually exist. The "I Want It Now" scene with the golden egg geese is also a guilty pleasure of mine and I was slightly disappointed with the nut-cracking squirrels. As for the father, to be honest, I don't even know what the new father looks like and I just saw it three days ago. Roy Kinnear will alwys be Veruca's dad to me it shouldn't have to be that way. His performance in the original was ok but the new guy was completely undescript which is odd for a movie with such vivid characters.

 

Mike TeeVee - This is where the new one trumps the old. The new Mike TeeVee was such an ass and had such a stronger role than the original. Although the TV scene plays out the same, you really want the kid to get it by the time he hits the button to travel through television. As for the parents, the know-it-all mother was so much better than the new creepy father with the bad comb-over that you wished you could transplant Dodo Denny to the future to reprise her role since she was kinda creepy in the original movie.

 

Edge: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

 

 

The Factory - This is really where I was bothered with the new movie. The original Chocolate Factory was an event. As a child, I eagerly anticipated each new room wondering what lay in store. With less advancements in studio wizadry, they made a true dreamland with giant gummi bears, lickable walls, a creepy boat ride and all the other ins and outs of a place I would have killed to see as a child. Despite the advantage of more technology at their hands, Burton's version fails to treat each room as an event and almost rushes through it like it can't be bothered for detail, wanting to focus on Wonka's estranged relationship with his father. To me, this was the biggest disappointment of the movie for me since it was probably the one area I was anticipating the most.

 

Edge: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

 

 

The Overall Movie - I think the original had more thought put into it, to be honest. They actually built to Charlie getting the Golden ticket. In the new version, it was such a ho-hum event that no one seemed to care. the one exception is when Charlie offers to sell the Golden Ticket so he can feed his family. I already mentioned the rushing through the Factory and the way the characters played out. To its credit, the story of Wonka and his father was refreshing and showing what happened to charlie and the family after the trip through the factory also left me satisfied. To be honest, if you like Tim Burton films (and I do) you will be satisfied with the remake but in my book, it can't touch the original for originality, satisfaction for the entire family or pure imagination!

This was a fun read. I never actually saw the original movie, but I read the book all the time as a child, and I liked that this one was titled properly where the other one wasn't. I saw this Saturday and loved it, especially for Johnny Depp and his typically awesome performance, but I haven't seen the old one, so I don't have a comparison to make.

You have never seen the original movie?!?!?!

 

I think the problem you will have is that you never saw the original as a child. I can get this to you with ease so it will be available but you may not like the antiquated look of the factory gadgets or the fact they made it a musical.

I don't typically mind musicals.

 

It's on TV all the time, but I always avoided it just because the title made me mad, honestly. Because when people would talk about the Roald Dahl book, all they would think it was called Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and I'd have to slug them.

I met some people today that also said they hadn't seen the original and it freakin' AMAZED me. How did that get by you? MY kids have seen the original a MILLION times at least and at two years old, my son's not gonna walk up to me and say, "Dad, please put in the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory DVD please?" but he runs over to my DVD shelf, pulls it down and goes, "OOOMPAS!" I had to smile to myself when I read the part in Will's initial post that talked about that original song sticking with children. It is SO true.

Haven't seen the new one, but I remember the trailer annoying me because the word 'candy' was used so damn much.

...two years old, my son's not gonna walk up to me and say, "Dad, please put in the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory DVD please?" but he runs over to my DVD shelf, pulls it down and goes, "OOOMPAS!"...

This coming from the same kids that beg for kill bill? I find this hard to believe daddy. I mean CJ! Anyways...

 

 

Goodhelmet

I just watched the movie (literally) so it's very fresh in my mind and I'd have to say it was strange but likable. Then again with the ol' burton/depp combo what did i really expect right?

 

Favorite Line: "Everything in this room is edible. Even me, but that's called canibalism, and it's not acceptable in every society"

 

The more I think about it, the more I think that this movie was kinda creepy and a little weird even for kids... but the more I think about Gene Wilder doing his version of "no one knows where it's going" boat ride, the more I think neah, it was supposed to be this way. I read the book as a kid (and the second book, le glass elevator) and never remembered it being quite that creepy. That was a long time ago.

 

With you saying that it seemed like the rooms weren't made enough of an event... I think the reason for that is whole origin story of willy (and wilbur, his father, the dentist) wonka. I kinda like the extra detail the movie goes into to explain why Mr. Wonka is such a freakin' weirdo. So for anyone who cares to know why Mr. Wonka eats chocolate and why the Oompa loompas no longer eat crushed-catapiller stew, this is a great flick.

 

NOT TO COMPARE THIS TO BATMAN BEGINS but I would compare the two movies here in the same way. Yeah, the oompa's don't sings catchy songs. Yeah, the rooms aren't quite as exciting. Yeah, wonka has too many flash backs. But isn't it great knowing what the oompas lived in and ate? What kind of headgear willy had as a child (LOL... FREAk!) I'm telling you, burton addressed the little issues that make people wonder sometimes and that's why I liked the flick.

This coming from the same kids that beg for kill bill? I find this hard to believe daddy. I mean CJ! Anyways...

My kids have eclectic tastes, just like their old man. It's possible, believe it or not, to be able to recognize Darryl Hannah whistling "Twisted Nerve" as she stalks the hospital corridors AND little orange men (OMG SLAVES~) singing about tons of candy and sweets in a fantastic factory.

 

They also recognize and know the theme music from Cowboy Bebop as well as they know anything from Shrek, Shark Tale or The Incredibles.

 

Amazing how that works. Just because they have some of my genes doesn't mean they're complete idiots. I'd be more worried about how much they inherited from their BITCH WHORE mother if I were you.

This coming from the same kids that beg for kill bill? I find this hard to believe daddy. I mean CJ! Anyways...

My kids have eclectic tastes, just like their old man. It's possible, believe it or not, to be able to recognize Darryl Hannah whistling "Twisted Nerve" as she stalks the hospital corridors AND little orange men (OMG SLAVES~) singing about tons of candy and sweets in a fantastic factory.

 

They also recognize and know the theme music from Cowboy Bebop as well as they know anything from Shrek, Shark Tale or The Incredibles.

 

Amazing how that works. Just because they have some of my genes doesn't mean they're complete idiots. I'd be more worried about how much they inherited from their BITCH WHORE mother if I were you.

Your mom goes to college...

Stop, stop.

 

"You had me at "your mom goes to college.'" </Renee Zellweger, Jerry Maguire>

I don't know about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory but I have no urge to see it at all... maybe because I'm not a big Johnny Depp fan in the least bit or perhaps I wasn't too thrilled with viewing the original, but this is just something I can see myself not even bothering to rent.

It cracks me up that people are claiming Depp based his performance off Michael Jackson, when during filming he said that since Marylin Manson really wanted the part (and then couldn't do it due to some conflict) Depp decided to play Wonka as Manson would have done.

People just love to namedrop MJ just for the hell of it most of the time.

People just love to namedrop MJ just for the hell of it most of the time.

The comparisons are made to MJ simply because Depp's Wonka has a paper-white complexion and a MJ-esque pageboy.

 

Depp even pointed out that MJ loves kids (insert obvious joke) and Wonka doesn't, so saying he based his character on MJ is a silly idea.

I consider myself a fan of the Gene Wilder film, but I don't go nuts for it like many. The movie is nowhere close to a "classic", and if it wasn't for Gene Wilder it would've been forgotten.

 

I'm a big fan of Depp and/or Burton and everything I've seen looks very good, so I look forward to seeing this. I don't plan on trying to compare them.

Apparently Depp was aiming for Captain Kangaroo in terms of mannerisms and speech intonation, I guess it's just the media blitz that has led to MJ accusations. He claims to have watched video tapes of children's TV presenters to try and master the art of patronising but approachable speech.

Finally saw this last night and not being a huge fan of the original, this seemed to do no harm to the legacy that its predecessor created. Depp kept the stand-offish with his guests attitude that Wilder had going, intact. The build to Charlie finding the golden ticket wasn't as drawn out in the update, but it wasn't so much that I dwelled on it.

 

Maybe it's easier to compare the two since I don't view the original as highly as those who adore it. The remake did a lot more to flesh out Wonka's past, both personal and professional life, not to mention the origin of the Oompa Loompas. The updated, more polished musical numbers were like vapor in the mind. I didn't dislike them, but I couldn't tell you how any of them sounded.

 

I hadn't done any research on the film prior to seeing it, so I could only (correctly) guess during the opening credits that Danny Elfman was involved. Loved the opening sequence, both from a visual and musical aspect.

 

Compared to other remakes, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory carves its own niche, while doing no harm to the image of the original.

C&TCF is closer to the books, WW&TCF is heavily rewritten to make it more of a musical. I believe Dahl's reason for being pissed off over the first came down to the rewritten overly musical script, Wilder being more warm but menacing than detached and anxious and the fact Charlie broke the rules but was still rewarded (the whole point of the book is Charlie gets rewarded in the end for his honesty, sincerity and modesty whereas Gloop's gluttony doomed him, Violet's arrogance doomed her, Violet's spoiled attitude and greed doomed her and Mike Teevee's technophile superiority complex rather than allowing himself to suspend disbelief doomed him, Charlie resisted the everlasting gobstopper because he was just grateful to be there and didn't want anything else). I have both and watched them back to back and while I preferred some of the sequences in the original more, particularly the boat ride, I found the Burton/Depp film a lot more solid all round. I also really like the fact each song has a different approach (funk, hippy rock, big band, etc) and kept the lyrics Dahl wrote.

I saw it a few weeks ago, and as expected I liked it. . I love the boat ride in the '71 version and Wilder is great, but overall, I consider this version to be much better than the '71 version. The two best changes between the movies, were the squirrels and getting the moral of the story right.

 

If I had kids and had to choose one version to show them, It would definately be this one.

 

 

EDIT: Shit, I just compared them and I said I wouldn't on page one. Well, the important thing is that I didn't compare them whilst watching this one.