[Jake]

God damn it.

It is really really shit how safe Tim Burton is at this point. I don't think he's changed at all really, except that his films are bigger, but that's the problem. Edward Scissorhands and Beetlejuice were at least different looking when they came out, maybe people thought they were a little "too weird" (I know my parents did), but at least nothing else really looked like them. Now we have films of Harry Potter, Lemony Snicket, the horrible Dr Seuss adaptations and even the goddamn Scooby Doo movie featuring the exact same twisted-ramshackle-60's-gothic look that Burton uses, and it's become really dull. It's just another completely safe inoffensive Hollywood Look that every production designer and cinematographer has to be able to pull out of their ass at the drop of a hat. Burton needs some new goddamn moves.

I was so ****ing bored while watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory that it's ridiculous.

God damn it.

God damn it. Yes. **** yeah. I hated Burton for turning Harlequin of Hate into a rational crime boss. It's on, mother****er. Tim mother****in' Burton, God damn it.

[Orange Brat]

I saw it on Saturday, and I thought it was fantastic. It doesn't have anything on the Wilder movie, but it was classic Burton in Scissorhands mode. Great score, great visuals, great Depp, mostly great effects, great Oompa Loompas, great Charlie's shack, and great overall look. Funnier than hell, too. Burton's best movie in years.

Haven't seem this movie. Doubt I will. Hate to see remakes, and I don't like Burton's casting in any of his movies or how he distorts the original characters' persona. I saw Batman 1989 long after getting into the comics and when I saw Nicholson behind the make-up, I raised an eyebrow, alright. Same goes with the Penguin in Returns. Burton made him a much more interesting character, but he ripped up the comic so bad. And Johnny Depp as THE Willie Wonka? I can't see it.

[Orange Brat]

It's an adaptation of the book and doesn't qualify as a remake. The only way you could call it that is if there was no book. This is splitting hairs, but it's one of those things that bugs the hell out of me. It's like calling Batman Begins a prequel. It simply isn't true, yet a lot of critics and talking heads keep calling it that(and calling Charlie and the Chocolate Factory a remake of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory).

No actor is THE Willy Wonka, since everyone has a different idea of how that should be handled based on their experience with the book. I prefer Wilder to Depp, but I like both interpretations. Wilder is more in your face with his cynicism...Depp is more subtle but you can read his facial expressions to figure out what he really thinks.

Burton needs some new goddamn moves

I don't see why he should have to give up his style just because a lot of people are ripping him off. It should be they who need to find the new moves.

[Ninth]

Originally Posted by Orange Brat

I saw it on Saturday, and I thought it was fantastic. It doesn't have anything on the Wilder movie, but it was classic Burton in Scissorhands mode. Great score, great visuals, great Depp, mostly great effects, great Oompa Loompas, great Charlie's shack, and great overall look. Funnier than hell, too. Burton's best movie in years.

I saw it yesterday, and yes.

[fov]

Originally Posted by Orange Brat

It's an adaptation of the book and doesn't qualify as a remake. The only way you could call it that is if there was no book. This is splitting hairs, but it's one of those things that bugs the hell out of me.

Amen! They were complaining on the radio the other day about how the movie left out this and that from the original movie, and it was all stuff that wasn't in the book. I'm a huge fan of the book and thought the Gene Wilder movie was annoying, so I'm thrilled that this movie was made.

Haven't seen it yet, so I reserve judgement on the movie itself. Hoping to go this week or next week, depending on my friends' availability.

I heard something interesting the other day - the first movie was made by a candy company to promote all those Willy Wonka candies that then came out in the 70s. I always figured it was the other way around. No wonder the movie was so annoying.

[Ninth]

Originally Posted by fov

Haven't seen it yet, so I reserve judgement on the movie itself. Hoping to go this week or next week, depending on my friends' availability.

I loved the book too, and was kinda scared by the trailer, but this movie is what I would call a perfect adaptation. Not too faithful (Lord of the Rings) and not too exotic (like Dune... not that Dune isn't one of my favorite movies, but it displeased most of Herbert's fans).
On a side note, I didn't like the last 10 minutes, but that's no big deal.

[Jake]

Originally Posted by fov

I heard something interesting the other day - the first movie was made by a candy company to promote all those Willy Wonka candies that then came out in the 70s. I always figured it was the other way around. No wonder the movie was so annoying.

That's why they renamed it "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," which is pretty hilarious/depressing to me. They are pretty forthcoming about that on the DVD of the film, though, which I like. Given that the first movie was sort of the definition of sell out or corporate shill, I was less than impressed with Gene Wilder whining that the new film was made because Hollywood is out of ideas and looking for a quick buck.

[Mishale]

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie as well, but I may just be more biased because I love Johnny Depp.

On a side-note I thought it was a better adaptation of the book than the Gene Wilder version too.

[Hammerite]

Originally Posted by Orange Brat

I saw it on Saturday, and I thought it was fantastic. It doesn't have anything on the Wilder movie, but it was classic Burton in Scissorhands mode. Great score, great visuals, great Depp, mostly great effects, great Oompa Loompas, great Charlie's shack, and great overall look. Funnier than hell, too. Burton's best movie in years.

What about Sleepy Hollow and Big FIsh, they were damn good.

[pinkgothic]

Must... see... o.@

[Kolzig]

I need to see this movie, because I love Burton's and Depp's work. Especially when those two are working together.

[Filmman]

I can not wait to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory II hope it is better then the first.

[James]

gene wilder's wonka was perfect, and a true childhood memory - this will always be the "other" wonka/charlie movie.

[BenjaminBunny]

imo, the film was OK.

[Claire]

I'm really looking forward to seeing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory when it's released in the UK.

On a side note my friend has entered some sweepstakes to win a 5ft cardboard cutout of Depp as Willy Wonka--an awesome addition to any student flat!

[Quadriflax]

I saw this on Friday night. It was pretty lame. Yes, I know it was closer to the book etc. But what was really missing at the end was the normal, upset, human Willy Wonka. Aside from everything being really dark and overly depressing, the movie didn't portray Willy Wonka and his factory the way it should have. The "original" movie from the book made the factory seem like an interesting fantasy world. This new one looked like Tim Burton's "Yet Another Movie." It wasn't guilded enough. By that I mean the factory should have looked really happy and fun on the surface, but was really kind of twisted and weird beneath. Tim Burton's factory was just bizzare and scary, with no attempt to fool you to think otherwise. It never felt magical to me.

And although I think Johnny Depp did a pretty good job with what he had to work with, the portrail of Willy Wonka was lacking. Gene Wilder's Willy Wonka was somewhat sinister, but it was more subtle. His "oh no, don't do that, stop" way of speaking when kids were about to maybe kill themselves was more convincing than Depp's "you shouldn't do that, I've not perfected this yet" directness. It's hard to describe properly, but Wilder's Wonka was not so obvious about his motives.

The end also showed some big variations on the Wonka character. At the end of the original, Wonka goes nuts. He becomes a real, angry, and logical person. He lifts the vail of "insanity" to show that he's not just some screwed up person, but a very real individual that acts like many of us would should someone have broken one of our rules. So it was more of an act for Wilder's Wonka than a mental illness like Depp's character. Depp's Wonka was just a screwed up boy with an overbearing father. He was a basket case, not a man of deliberate, thoughful action. Which only serves to make Wilder's Wonka, by comparison, that much more genuine. He really *didn't* care about the children's fate, not because he couldn't or didn't understand, but because he knew they deserved to be taught a lesson. Which shows insight and conveys a more real sense of danger.

I know the book has the kids walking out at the end, and in that sense Burton's is of course "more accurate." But really, leaving out the explicit fate of the children in the first movie makes it that much more ambiguous. Was the furnace on? Did everyone die or did they come out okay? Because we didn't see them alive, and (mostly) well, at the end there was no way to know. Wonka didn't care, he didn't bother to find out if everyone was okay, he just went on. I, as a more caring and concerned person, should have some remorse about what happened to the children. They're all potentially DEAD because some guy wanted to teach them a lesson. Is his sense of justice logical/fair? etc.

Finally, just because I can, the new Oompa Loompa (not "Loompas") was lame. Having them all be the same actor only served to illustrate in a direct way the blandness of Burton's world. For a place that's supposed to be filled with amazing tastes and colors, and such joy because of them, Burton's world was the exact opposite. Nothing was stimulating the way it should have been.

I'm not at all surprised I didn't like it. I think Tim Burton is a hack and his taste and design is old and tired. I haven't seen all his pics (most notably I haven't seen Big Fish or Edward Scissorhands) so I realize I'm not speaking entirely from an informed stance. But from his entire lineup of movies I can't think of one that I've enjoyed or even bothered to go see because it just looks like more of the same crap. The Corpse Bride looks to be an interesting concept for an animated short, but not for a feature length film.

To sum, I didn't like the new Chocolate Factory. If it's truer to the book, so be it. But by that measure I'd have to say I don't like the book as much as I did the original movie adaptation. I don't care that Dahl didn't like it. I thought it made Willy Wonka an interesting, layered character that wasn't fully exposed, unlike the new movie (despite the many flashbacks, Willy Wonka was more 2D than ever). Bah.

I also heard rumors that Marilyn Manson was supposed to be the next Wonka, and Martin Scorsese was supposed to direct. Now THAT would be dark and f'ed up in a good way.

[mag]

Originally Posted by Jake

Now we have films of Harry Potter, Lemony Snicket, the horrible Dr Seuss adaptations and even the goddamn Scooby Doo movie featuring the exact same twisted-ramshackle-60's-gothic look that Burton uses, and it's become really dull. It's just another completely safe inoffensive Hollywood Look that every production designer and cinematographer has to be able to pull out of their ass at the drop of a hat. Burton needs some new goddamn moves.

That's just Burton's style. A lot of artists have distinctive aspects in all of their works that become their signature. The visual style of these films is Burton's signature.

As for the film itself, well, the first Willy Wonka movie was probably the most frightening thing I've ever seen. And this one has Tim Burton and Johnny Depp. So I think I'll pass.

mag

[insane_cobra]

I saw the film about a month ago, but tonight I watched Sleepy Hollow for the first time so I wanted to see what people had to say about Charlie. I have to say I agree with some of you, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is probably the worst Burton movie yet. It was fine for a fun two hours in the theatre, but when it ended I walked out and forgot about it entirely. Until now. And now I'll forget about it again. Good night.