- 2,760
Saw it tonight, and it was absolutely fantastic. I laughed the whole way through (including some parts which the rest of the audience didn't seem to find very funny) and felt like a little kid again. I kept wanting to see more and more of Johnny Depp's strange and quirky rendition of the Amazing Choclatier.
I actually thought this was going to be the movie where Tim Burton would just get too "Tim Burtonish" for my taste; the trailers made the movie look like a weird acid-trip nightmare from the depths of Burton's already considerably twisted imagination. But there's a lot to like about this movie, and though it's somewhat liberal with its interpretation of Roald Dahl's original story (and a complete 360 from the Gene Wilder movie adaptation), that's exactly what makes this movie a refreshing and delightful comedy that both kids and adults can enjoy.
Depp as Willy Wonka was a bit of a stretch, and when you first meet him you can't seem to grasp the nature of this character right away. He seems wooden and just downright strange. But as you delve deeper into his psyche (by way of several flashbacks into his childhood), you begin to see what makes him tick, and the whole performance comes together.
Freddie Highmore (the little boy from Finding Neverland) is once again perfectly cast as the heartwarming young Charlie Bucket. I found the relationship between Charlie and his grandfather to be more genuine than in the 1971 film, but the scene from the earlier movie in which the grandfather scolds Willy Wonka near the end is missing from this new version, and that was my favourite scene from the original. In fact, the ending is completely different in this movie, and even incorporates bits from the Great Glass Elevator story as well.
The songs are absolutely demented, but in a likeable, almost addictive way. All the voice work in the songs was done by the composer, Danny Elfman (who obviously also wrote the music, though the lyrics are all faithfully lifted from Dahl's book). The dancing and singing accompaniment by the Oompa-Loompas (actually, Oompa Loompa, as all of them were played by the same little man, Deep Roy [Mr. Soggybottoms the clown from Big Fish]) were a hoot to watch. The dancing in particular had me giggling by myself in a packed theatre, so maybe they weren't meant to be that funny. Oh well.
If you're interested in having a grand old time at the movies, and would like to see a movie that almost makes you want to stand up and clap during it, then this one's for you!
I actually thought this was going to be the movie where Tim Burton would just get too "Tim Burtonish" for my taste; the trailers made the movie look like a weird acid-trip nightmare from the depths of Burton's already considerably twisted imagination. But there's a lot to like about this movie, and though it's somewhat liberal with its interpretation of Roald Dahl's original story (and a complete 360 from the Gene Wilder movie adaptation), that's exactly what makes this movie a refreshing and delightful comedy that both kids and adults can enjoy.
Depp as Willy Wonka was a bit of a stretch, and when you first meet him you can't seem to grasp the nature of this character right away. He seems wooden and just downright strange. But as you delve deeper into his psyche (by way of several flashbacks into his childhood), you begin to see what makes him tick, and the whole performance comes together.
Freddie Highmore (the little boy from Finding Neverland) is once again perfectly cast as the heartwarming young Charlie Bucket. I found the relationship between Charlie and his grandfather to be more genuine than in the 1971 film, but the scene from the earlier movie in which the grandfather scolds Willy Wonka near the end is missing from this new version, and that was my favourite scene from the original. In fact, the ending is completely different in this movie, and even incorporates bits from the Great Glass Elevator story as well.
The songs are absolutely demented, but in a likeable, almost addictive way. All the voice work in the songs was done by the composer, Danny Elfman (who obviously also wrote the music, though the lyrics are all faithfully lifted from Dahl's book). The dancing and singing accompaniment by the Oompa-Loompas (actually, Oompa Loompa, as all of them were played by the same little man, Deep Roy [Mr. Soggybottoms the clown from Big Fish]) were a hoot to watch. The dancing in particular had me giggling by myself in a packed theatre, so maybe they weren't meant to be that funny. Oh well.
If you're interested in having a grand old time at the movies, and would like to see a movie that almost makes you want to stand up and clap during it, then this one's for you!
