Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

[JBB]

My best friend and I are going to see this on Friday night (when it opens). We both LOVE the original, but are curious about the remake.
I was curious if others are planning on going to see it.

[TX Sweetheart]

I'm still warming up to it... I love the original but I love Johnny Depp too LOL... so I'll probably see it... DH can't wait for it to come out...

[Avalon]

I was bouncing up and down during the preview they showed for it at Batman Begins. I think it looks great and it's supposed to be more true to the book.

[KristyK]

We're going to see this just because Johnny Depp looks so darn freaky in it! My son and I can't wait! DH is going on business for a week to NC, I think DS and I will go then!

[camberne]

Actually, it's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory that's coming out. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory refers to the film with Gene Wilder.

This is not going to be the fun film that you remember as a kid. I was thrilled when it was announced a couple years ago that Johnny Depp was going to play the role of Willy Wonka, because he has such great aptitude for dark roles. Where Gene Wilder's rendition of the character was a little "off kilter", it was far from the eerie and almost sinister character as it was written.

I'm going into this film hoping to be able to completely dissociate myself from the 1971 film in order to like/dislike it on its own merits.

[Sophia]

I really want to see it. The previews look incredible. I wanted to re-read the book beforehand but my kids couldn't find their copy. :p

[nylons73]

I feel like such a downer, coming in here and saying that I won't be going! heh heh :( Anyhow, I loved the Gene Wilder version, and what I've seen of the Johnny Depp version has, frankly, scared me! I read the review in PEOPLE today and they said it was pretty awful. That's enough to keep me away!

Please - someone post if you go to see and it and love it. It might change my mind!

[laurenc]

i'll probably see it when it comes to the cheapie theater or when it goes on video, but that's probably more because i don't much care for actually going to the movies.

you know, i can't watch gene wilder in any other movie without getting freaked out. the original disturbed me so much that now gene wilder is completely ruined. that and, every time i see wonka brand candy, i hear the oompa loompa song in the background...

[TX Sweetheart]

DH & I saw it tonight and I LOVED IT!! It's not all scary, there are some downright hilarious parts (involving, of course, Johnny Depp)...

[JBB]

I went last night with my DH and best friend. We loved it. And at the end the audience was clapping. I thought Johnny Depp did such a great job as Willy Wonka.

[torch76]

I saw it yesterday too. I thought it was great! Johnny Depp's character was not scary like it seemed it would be in the previews. More unsocialized- like he doesn't know how to act around kids. They go into Willy's childhood and explain why he is like that so it makes you feel sorry for him and understand more where he is coming from.

If you are thinking about seeing this movie i think it is worth it.

[camberne]

We keep attempting, but it keeps being sold out!! I think we're going to shoot for the latest showing tonight. I hate completely packed theatres, so I prefer not to get the last seat in a sold out show anyway!!

[lml41981]

We just got back from seeing it...it wasn't bad. In the previews, Johnny Depp seemed really creepy as Willy Wonka, but in the movie, he was only marginally creepy. I was mostly creeped out by the uncanny similarities between Willy Wonka, as portrayed by Depp, and Michael Jackson.

I liked the kid who played Charlie in this one much better than the other Charlie.

[chefker]

I was mostly creeped out by the uncanny similarities between Willy Wonka, as portrayed by Depp, and Michael Jackson.



OMG! I was thinking that to myself the other day....wondering if MJ will see the movie and 'identify' with Depp's characterization of Wonka. Some cursory similarities are just uncanny. And here I thought I was the only one thinking this. :)

I do plan on seeing it, but not sure when.

[Katie&Micah]

Dh and I saw it today and were both pretty disappointed. We both found it hard not to compare to the original version. It sucks because I've been SOOOOO excited since I heard they were doing a remake and I'm a huge fan of Johnny Depp. There were some funny moments, but overall it didn't do much for me.

[IrishMeg]

We saw it this afternoon. I enjoyed it. We got FSD's hooked on WWCF about a year ago. They are 6 and 8. They loved it. I thought there were some pretty funny parts. Some of it the kids didn't get. At the end people were clapping. Overall, the four of us enjoyed it.

Is it weird that even while playing Willy Wonka, I could still find Johnny Depp attractive?! :o

I liked the kid who played Charlie in this one much better than the other Charlie.

ITA! The original Charlie annoyed me.

[bciob22]

OMG! I was thinking that to myself the other day....wondering if MJ will see the movie and 'identify' with Depp's characterization of Wonka. Some cursory similarities are just uncanny. And here I thought I was the only one thinking this. :)
.

I thought I was the only one too ;)

[claribella]

Just saw it today. I enjoyed it alot! Of Course my Johnny was just outstanding :)

It was rather funny...when those oompa-loompas would start dancing ah! It was a riot! :D :D

[Asha]

oh good - they kept the oompa loompas!!!!! they were my fave part of the old movie. now, i have to go and see this movie.

[Sophia]

Loved it. It was so much better than the 1971 Gene Wilder version. So much more like the book.

[Sophia]

oh good - they kept the oompa loompas!!!!! they were my fave part of the old movie. now, i have to go and see this movie.

I loved the Oompa Loopas in this version. They were all played by one man, Deep Roy.

The lyrics to the songs in the new movie are by Roald Dahl himself--I found them on this site (http://www.roalddahlfans.com/books/charsongs.php) -- but Danny Elfman wrote the music and sang the songs. :D The original lyrics are so much better than "Oompa Loopa Dupity Doo" or whatever it was that was sung in the 1971 version.

I really recommend this site for anyone interested in Dahl and the original version of the story (the book). And if you've never read the book, only seen the 1971 movie, you really should read it. Dahl was a genius.

Roald Dahl Fans.Com (http://www.roalddahlfans.com/index.php)

[TracieB]

We saw it on Saturday and absolutely LOVED it. There were parts that were hilarious... the oompa loopas' songs were one of them. I loved the original and think I like this one better. Johnny Depp did a great job as Willy Wonka. I don't think he seemed creepy at all, just a person who hasn't been socialized.

We will definitely buy it when it comes out on DVD. I'd love to see outtakes!

[Sophia]

Oooo...outtakes would be great!

[JBB]

Oh, I didn't even think about the outtakes! I am definitely buying it also on DVD.

I also think I may go and re-read the book-since it has now been about 18 years since I last read it ;)

[Sophia]

I read it last night! DS bought a hardcover edition that includes Charlie & the Chocolate Factory and Charlie & the Great Glass Elevator. :D

[camberne]

My husband thinks they shouldn't have "remade" Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and have just gone for Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator with Johnny Depp.

[Chris'slady]

I saw it on Saturday, it was the best movie i saw in a long time.
FH husband even loved it I agree with the critic best remake in a long long time.

[shopaholic]

saw it Saturday and wasn't impressed...at all.

I had to rent the "classic" yesterday just to see it again. I feel this new one "spoiled"/ruined the original.


The oompa loompa...if that is what you would call it...RUINED the movie. Sorry, but some greasy indian guy (if that is his nationality) is not "cute". Leave the oompas the way they were.

[nordey]

I took my kids to see it Friday and we all loved it. I don't particularly like the original 1970's movie though. Gene Wilder is just not who I would picture as Willy Wonka when reading the book. Johnny Depp on the other hand... :D


"Is it weird that even while playing Willy Wonka, I could still find Johnny Depp attractive?!"
OMG!! I was thinking this through the entire movie!!!

[kemaji]

I loved the movie!

I was mostly creeped out by the uncanny similarities between Willy Wonka, as portrayed by Depp, and Michael Jackson.


That's exactly what my dad said after we all went to it!

[shopaholic]

Dh and I saw it today and were both pretty disappointed. We both found it hard not to compare to the original version. It sucks because I've been SOOOOO excited since I heard they were doing a remake and I'm a huge fan of Johnny Depp. There were some funny moments, but overall it didn't do much for me.
100% agreed.

Also, at the end when he goes to his dad...there is a picture of a GROWN up Willy Wonka on his fathers office wall, yet he doesn't recognize his son face to face? LAME!

[camberne]

We finally saw it last night. I enjoyed it well enough, but I was disappointed in a lot of it.

The songs were very hard to understand, and we couldn't understand half of them. At least they were the real ones... but, it would have been nice if they had subtitled them like in the 1971 film so you could appreciate them.

I expected Willy Wonka to be more true to the book. He was still a bit creepy, but not nearly as sinister as I hoped. There were a few looks that he made that I thought "that's the WW I came to see", but it never really developed. My husband said that he thought they were trying to humanize him too much because of the Gene Wilder film and the expectations of people.

The back story... why??

I wonder if they're going to go the extra step and do Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator? If so, I hope they're more true to the WW character.

LOVED Freddie Highmore as Charlie!! He was perfect!!

[Rose]

I saw it last night and I loved it! I will always like the original, but the new one was really good. Johnny Depp was so funny.

[katmg]

I liked the new one. I thought there were some hilarious moments - "Don't touch that squirrel's nuts!" DH made the MJ comparison as well. I liked that it held truer to the book, but the book's description of WW and Johnny's portrayal weren't similar at all. Just my .02.

Oh, I was so happy that the song, "Cheer-up Charlie" wasn't included in the new movie. I *hated* that song and would always fast forward through it. Bleah.

[silentbunny]

Sorry, but some greasy indian guy (if that is his nationality) is not "cute". Leave the oompas the way they were.

:eek: :confused: :mad:

[Myra]

Has anyone read the book recently? It's been almost 20 years since I read it, and I have a question. In the movie, Willy Wonka is portrayed as hating children. In the book, did he loathe children, or was he more of a general misanthrope?