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Just (finally) saw the newest Charlie and the Choc Factory (Johnny Depp)


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I don't like the addition of the Evil Dentist as Abusive Father in the Depp version, and I don't like the looks of JD as WW, either, but the rest of it is pretty funny and just slightly twisted--perfect Dahl. DD so wanted to stay up to see it last night--why do they run these movies so darned late?

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I've said this before, and I still think there's something awfully Michael Jackson/Wonderland-ish about his character...I much prefer the old one.:001_smile:

That's it! We've watched it twice in the last few weeks, and I couldn't put my finger on what was so bothersome about that movie.

 

I like the Gene Wilder version better.

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I don;'t understand why people think THIS version is creepy. The old version was creepy in my opinion. The new one is wicked funny (yes, I am from New England.) Of course that could be the difference between me being a kid when watching the older one and an adult watching the newer one.

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I don;'t understand why people think THIS version is creepy. The old version was creepy in my opinion. The new one is wicked funny (yes, I am from New England.) Of course that could be the difference between me being a kid when watching the older one and an adult watching the newer one.

 

 

I think you hit the nail on the head. We all saw the two different versions at such different points in our development and I think that affects our reactions significantly.

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I think both film versions have merit. The newer one, in my opinion, is much more faithful to the spirit of the original book, which is dark and weird and a bit creepy. And I think Depp's portrayal is much more Dahl-like. However, I think the earlier one is a much better movie. That's the one I go back and watch over and over again.

 

Of course, I had a huge crush on Gene Wilder when I was a kid, so that may affect my perspective . . .

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I don't like the addition of the Evil Dentist as Abusive Father in the Depp version...

 

...but I absolutely LOVE the rest of it.

 

We joke about Johnny Depp looking eerily like my mom (who is a very attractive woman) in that movie, lol. (Beautiful skin, white teeth...dark brown bobbed haircut, lol).

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I was ready to HATE Johnny Depp in the remake since I LOVED the old one and I didn't like how he looked in the pictures. But, I found myself really liking it. Of course he is creepy, so was the old one, Dahl is a little creepy. :-) I thought the dentist back story was hillarious. I REALLY, REALLY liked how they stayed truer to the book. I didn't like the whole bubble scene in the old one where Charlie was no better than the other kids. I liked the ending.

 

I heard an interview and Johnny Depp was very purposefully adding a little Michael Jackson into his character.

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was the book. As others have mentioned, I liked how the second one was more true to the book. The father part was creepy, but at least it was well done. I kind of liked that they gave some insight as to why Willie is how he is. I do think J. Depp did a good job. I didn't like the weird melting doll part, but again, it was very Dahl-like (pun not intended!)

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The Gene Wilder movie is closer to the actual book! The psychological twist they put with Johnny Depp was, in my opinion, ridiculous! The Depp movie is not for children, at least young children. My children loved the book, loved listening to it on tape and love the Gene Wilder movie. I would not show them the Johnny Depp one - the characters have no depth and are just quirky and silly. There is a great moral in this story and it is all lost with the Depp film.

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The new one is creepy. Johnny Depp's Willy Wonka is too creepy Michael Jackson for me. I think they both veer from the book. Just in different areas. Gene Wilder will always be Willy Wonka to me.

 

Plus, my dd cried hysterically every time the oompa loompa showed up on screen in the new version. She never cried in the original.

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I laughed so hard in the theater! I may have even embarrased my kids.

I really loved this movie; creepiness and all.

 

Part of the reason I haven't really wanted to see it is because Sweetie already has and he didn't like it at all! He didn't say anything about it being funny! Hum -- now I'm starting to wonder if he actually watched the right movie. :D

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The whole point of Roald Dahl is that he is creepy. That's what makes him fun! He offsets some of the overly cheerful children's books quite nicely. :D

 

I enjoyed the first Willy Wonka very much as a child, and that's what I prefer to watch for my own enjoyment. I'd rather read the book for the "real" version. But, I did enjoy the newer movie too - just not for the kids.

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I loved the Gene Wilder version and didn't like the new one at all. Normally I really enjoy Johnny Depp, but even though the new version was more true to the story, his interpretation of the character didn't ring true to me. (And his hair style drove me to distraction!)

 

It's probably got something to do with Gene Wilder's explanation of taking the part originally. He insisted that the first time moviegoers got to see him in the role, he had to limp out to the gate and then do the somersault and end up perfectly normal - all to show that the viewers would never know if he was telling the truth or not. I found that brilliant. I've always been fascinated by his preparation for the different roles he's taken, but Wonka is by far my favorite.

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I love the new one. I think Johnny Depp is a fantastic actor, and I am such a fan of Freddie Highmore. I really enjoyed the Tim Burton twist in this version.

 

As for whether or not the new movie is more appealing to children than the old, I couldn't say. I do know that the scene on the boat in the original movie terrified me. Remember the chicken losing its head? GAH!

I wouldn't say that is any more appropriate for little ones than anything featured in the new version. :001_huh:

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Wilder's prep for the part? I'm always interested in that kind of thing and I'd like to read that, if you remember.

 

HappyGrace,

 

I read a few interviews online that had bits and pieces of his life, but if I recall correctly, the part about Wonka and much more in-depth info about his other roles I found in his book Kiss Me Like A Stranger.

 

The book gets a little, um, personal - but after I read it I realized that he included what he did in order to help explain himself as a person and why he chose the parts that he did. Interestingly, he spent many years hiding and battling an inexplicable compulsion to pray and ask forgiveness (even though he didn't know what he was asking forgiveness for) and that also adds another angle to what he writes about in the book.

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Wilder's prep for the part? I'm always interested in that kind of thing and I'd like to read that, if you remember.

 

I've heard that too, and I haven't read the book Higher Ed referred to above. So, I think it might be one of the special clips on the movie DVD. You know how they add in a lot of extra stuff like interviews with the actors? I think that might be where I saw it.

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