I forgot about those... that key part was one of my favorites.

It's certainly my favourite film of the year so far. But I must admit it didn't quite reach the sweat-drenched, euphoric and frankly unreasonable expectations my p-review had set up for me. I'm positively giddy it turned out as good as it did though! :grin:

YAY! I've been waiting and waiting and waiting for your review. I *knew* you'd like it!

Joy

I didn't just like it, I loved it.

Every single little thing about it was fantastic. I still chuckle when I think about that shoe shine scene. The most perfectly executed - yet deliriously subtle - comedy sequence in cinema since Pee Wee danced the Tequila and rode a bike through a billboard.

I have to see it again to really form a coherent opinion though.

Glad you're going to see it again, Snrub. It's a movie I think really has to be seen more than once. Except for the people who found it disgusting, which would probably not change on a second viewing. Hey, you want to hear something funny? I was on the bus a couple of days ago, and a lady got off and walked right into a glass wall that they stupidly use at bus stops. She didn't fall down, but she staggered around for a few seconds. I was horrified at first, then I remembered the movie and started laughing (she was ok, anyway). I figure Burton has to find a way to torture Depp in every movie (scissorhands, angora sweaters, blood squirting) and that was it for this movie.

Finally saw this. On IMAX, no less. It was a complete mixed bag.

The build up to the entrance into the factory was magic. I dreaded the sequences of Charlie with his family, but these are the best in the film. Helena Bonham Catrer was oddly alluring here...considering her husband, no real surprise. But I've never liked her before. The house set was marvelous.

I also appreciated how briskly and directly the movie gets us to the factory. No fat. We're spared stuff like the classroom scenes, etc. from the original film that, well, didn't work.

But the factory stuff, I'm afraid, was problematic. The musical seqences LOOKED great, but were filled with largely unintelligable lyrics. Johnny Depp gets some wonderful lines, but it felt more like shtick than a real character. He didn't quite INHABIT the character the way he did, say, Ed Wood or Jack Sparrow. It's a good performance, but it's not great.

The biggest problem, and the one it can't quite overcome, is the way the movie almost completely forgets about Charlie and his Grandpa once we enter the factory. Grandpa Joe had, what, 4 lines while inside? It was baffling. Jarring. The other parents, despite not really having characters, had way more to do and say than Charlie or Joe. It becomes the "Wonka and his magical set" show.

And that just makes the movie schizophrenic. Who's story is it, anyway? Charlie's? Wonka's? I don't know. Neither does the movie.

But the sets were gorgeous. The movie had atmosphere to spare. The performaces were spot on. I really liked Freddie Highmore here, despite my largely violent reaction to him in Finding Neverland. In IMAX I found myself constantly fascinated by his bangs. I'm not sure quite why, but I couldn't take my eyes off them.

The score was terrible. The theme over the opening credits sounded nearly identical to Elfman's score for Batman Returns.

I'm just so conflicted on this movie. I liked so much, and yet....

I'll be generous and say B-

Also, I found the PSYCHO gag disturbing and wonderful.

A-

I liked everything besides the Oompa Loompa sequences which were just a bore. I loved how faithful it was to the book, particularly in the first act it got everything right, even little details like the cabbage soup or the way the grandparents slept in their tiny beds. Also, this is one of the first movies that actually gets Roald Dahl's humor and successfully translates it onscreen.

Saw it today - a lot of fun. Johnny Depp injected the over-stylised pic with a lot of humour and the visuals were amazing. Danny Elfman's score was down right creepy; and the opening sequence could have easily been horror fantasy.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory just cracked the $200 million box office plateau this weekend, and I finally managed to get out to see it. (It looks like it's going to be a real dogfight for third place at the box office this year, between Charlie, Batman, and the Wedding Crashers...)

It was great! I really enjoyed everything about this adaptation - from Johnny Depp's pleasantly extreme interpretation of Charlie, to all the other supporting actors, and especially to the artistic design of the whole thing. Wow!

And I say this as a big fan of the 1971 adaptation Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory - both translations of the Roald Dahl book are classics in their own right.

I'm just hoping it stays at the IMAX theatres long enough, so that I can see it again...

5 out of 5.

The first half hour was great. After they entered the factory it went down and got better at the end. Depp was good but not great. B

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Its hella Weird, very Funny, beautifully done and very very enjoyable!

Johnny Depp does an outstanding job as Wonka, the kids did a great job too!
Tim Burton is a Genius!!!!

A+

Eh!, I used to think this movie looked like crap when the teaser and the trailer came out!

yoshue, I saw this last night with BB on IMAX and I must say I did *not* like it nearly as much. It was too loud and in your face, I guess... For some reason, I had a hard time adjusting to the Oompa Loompa lyrics... they worked much, much better in the regular theatres I saw it in.

Still, I really like it. I'm conflicted because it was pretty empty and it seems like Depp was always on the verge of a classic performance, but never really makes it. I don't like the way the picture changed focus half way through, and it just left me... wanting. The style was perfect, however, and I simply love looking at the film...

I still give it a B+, though...

Ill buy it.

i completely agree with you...highmore barely gets any lines while in the factory as well, so when we get to the climax, i know at least i didn't care nearly as much as i should have when charlie didn't get the factory (we all know he eventually gets it)...depp gave a good performance i think but it didn't have enough substance...for a wacky character his personality as wonka was pretty much black and white and there were no deeper meanings to him other than that he's afraid of parents...i still think i like gene wilder's wonka much better, just because he seemed a little bit more clever and had a quip for every situation, while this willy is more like a big kid..(even though according to roald dahl, that's how it should be)

to me some oompa loompa sequences worked, but when one sequence did not, it totally fell flat...the songs were okay but sometimes hard to follow, and the one guy playing all of them (deep roy i think?) became tiresome...

overall, i liked the movie, and cannot compare it to the original, seeing they almost have completely different source material...i will say i did not pay as much attention to this film as it deserved, and will have to see it (probably on DVD) once more to express my full opinion...

out of 5 stars, i'd give it
*** 1/2

B


I have never seen the Gene Wilder original of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and I have never read the book, so I am not biased in any way and can judge this movie on its own merits. I must say that I was pleasently surprised when I saw it earlier this year at an IMAX theatre in Philadelphia. The IMAX effect surely cotributed to me liking this quite a bit since the visuals and the sounds there are amazing, but in any case, it is a good and good-hearted flick that the whole family should enjoy.

It reminded me of Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. Both were somewhat weird and darker-than-usual kid flicks that featured a huge star in make-up and a bunch of kids, but this film was definitely more enjoyable. It was very clichéd and of course the ending was predictable, but this movie is really good at heart. It is also surprisingly funny. I found myself laughing quite a bit at different spots of the movie and I certainly didn't expect that. It's pretty quotable and simply the way Johnny Depp delivers his dialogue is very funny. As for Johnny Depp himself...I actually thought he was one of the movie's weaker aspects as he is pretty good, but some of his acting just didn't feel right for the role, in my opinion. He's still a great actor, of course, but I didn't quite appreciate his approach to the role.

The visuals in this movie are the highlight of the thing. The art direction will be deservingly nominated for an Academy Award, the effects are all good and the make-up is great. Burton once again created an amazing world of its own. The script is decent, even though cliché-ridden as I have said earlier and the characters are well-made even though their demises throughout the story get quite obvious beforehand (even though they are still done in a very imaginative way).

Overall, it's great Burton-esque family fun that is touching at times and hilarious at others, but doesn't quite reach the level of a masterpiece.

I read the book a very long time ago, so I can't compare that to the movie. My big criticism, and it would be for the book too if it includes it, is Wonka's relationship with his dad.

You know, the first thing on my mind when I watched the Wilder version was, gee I wonder where his roots began. Oh wait, I actually didn't give a shit. I was too busy looking at the set and seeing edible flowers, and a river of chocolate. Wonka is a one dimensional character that does not need exploring. We are there so we can see Charlie in the dumps, see the factory, see the brats get done away with, and see Wonka give the factory to Charlie. That's it. The whole subplot about Wonka and his father isn't necessary whatsoever.

As for the rest of the film (So about the other 95 minutes) are very good with one exception. I'll start with that one thing; The Oompa Loompa's. They're cute for about the first two songs. They're also cute in their backstory which is new from the Wilder version. I liked the footage of Wonka finding them. However, the last two songs are annoying and awful to listen to, especially Mike Tevee's song. What the hell was that? I do not need to see any Rock & Roll Oompa Loompas. I already find them annoying enough, I don't need to seem them all decked out in Rock gear.

Everything besides that is very good. I liked the setup with Charlie and his family (Especially the design of the house). I also like how they slightly change some of the backstories of the kids (Mike Teevee). Once we get inside of the factory it is a sight to look at, however it's not as cool as in the Wilder film, which is kind of sad actually when you think of all the things they could've done with CGI or even practical effects.

Depp also kinda grew on me. He's no Gene Wilder, but he has his nice own little take on Wonka. Before I watched the film, I heard the comparison over and over again that his performance reminded people of Michael Jackson. While some similarites are there (The father issue), I really didn't see any resemblance.

I also liked a couple of new scenes they added, one showing that all of the kids did in fact make it, and two the final shot of the movie which has the original house the Bucket's lived in, relocated into the factory.

It's a good film, do not get me wrong, but it could've outdone the original if it had dropped a couple of things here and there. The running time of 115 minutes is way too long for this kind of film. Some editing would've helped out.

B

I really need to rent this.

Watching it on a TV will be like watching it in IMAX through binoculars facing backwards...

I actually saw it in IMAX. Great experience.

9/10
I normally dont like this Hollywood kitsch kitsch but this one was good and very very evil. I guess kids can not half enjoy it like parents. Only the Umpa lumpa songs sucked. WTF??Michael Jackson on speed. well. ..I had a very fun and good time. Its wierd its strange its crazy.but also serious and evil....well exactly my thing

so then
be nice children or get killed you suckers

C+

Now I know why I waited so long to see this. The movie was visually good, but I just could never get into it. It didn't...excite me. I was kind've bored, something I would've never expected coming in. Depp misses the mark. He's too soft and quiet, he loses all that menacing fire and such that Gene Wilder had. He just stays reserved, with little giggle-talking. This is the worst that I've seen him in some time. The Oompa Loompas...What the hell? In the original the songs were catchy sing-a-longs, in this they're electro dance beats? All of that fit into a recurring theme in the film, being Burton being weird for the sake of being weird. It's like he thought "Oh, I know I've been weird before. But in this, I'M GOING TO DEMOLISH EVERYTHING THAT I'VE EVER DONE BEFORE!!! I'M GOING TO REACH A WHOLE NEW LEVEL!!!" And if that wasn't enough, the movie is anticlimatic and it suffers from the multiple endings syndrome.

High points though, aside from the movie looking great, I was impressed with the child acting. Freddie Highmore was great, but my favorite was Annasophia Robb. I'm now convinced that she is a much more charasmatic and better overall actress than even Dakota Fanning.

Well, to each his/her own, but I do highly recommend reading the book; you'll find that this movie does the job that it was meant to do--be a closer adaptation of Dahl's book. Whether or not one likes it comes down to personal taste, but in terms of being a far closer adaptation, it did its job and it did it well.

Joy

Just saw it, and loved it. Johnny Depp did a phenomenal job as Willy Wonka. The humor is great and I really enjoyed about everything about this movie. A-

The Most boring Tim Burton film I've ever seen, I acualy fell to sleep for about 5 minuts when I was watching this ( it was 1 o'clock in the afternoon) then woke up about 20 mins before the boring end. and the Tim Burtons Wonka sucked, so did the Umpa Lumpas. it also has one of the worst scores I've ever heard

This is in my Bottom 50 for sure

F

Kind of a disappointment. All the ingredients were there for this to be a great film: classic source material, visionary direction, great star. I guess where it fell flat was in the script. It's got a few moments of great dark humour, but much of it was too light and fluffy; I guess it is a kid's film, but the original film was much darker. Also, it ignores Charlie for a large portion in the middle, focusing on Wonka, and then allows him to win by default. There's no sense that he did anything right - he just kept his mouth shut and won the prize. And the father subplot really doesn't work. Still, it's not a bad film. The visuals are great, and Depp's performance, while hit-and-miss at times, is pretty funny. The acting is good all-around, the direction is fun, and the music didn't really bother me. Neither did the Oompa Loompas. The musical numbers felt a bit out of place, but the songs were decent. Overall, a good film that could have been great.

I kind of hated it.

*1/2