This movie is endearing, but I have to say ... the book is better! Forget the images that come with the movie, your imagination conjures up visions way beyond the limits of any special effects!
But still, not a bad version of the book. The actors are all adequate, but Gene Wilder is fantastic, the best thing about the movie - he was the only aspect in the movie which was at least as good as what I envisioned while reading the book, if not better. And watch out for the twinkle in his his eyes! :)
This is also one of those movies where knowing the story beforehand doesn't really do much damage when you actually watch it, if anything you anticipate what happens.
Really the only thing to criticize - is that the movie isn't as good as our own imaginations. The other criticisms just make me laugh. Granted the special effects aren't that cutting-edge, but hey, this was made years ago and it's OK considering! Also I don't really feel it's too 'scary' for kids... I know lots of children who think that Roald Dahl's stuff are cool, and no, they don't grow up to become mass murderers. And true, there is a dark side to it, but it's got a good message to send. If anyone got traumatized, they probably grew up like a glass bubble. I'm not a kid anymore and I do still know how to enjoy it, perhaps it's even more amusing because you really get to appreciate the intelligence of the absurdity and the fun of the exaggerations that Dahl inevitably dishes out. It's silly, but perhaps that's why you love it.
Another thing ... really interesting to watch out for if you're familiar with the great works of Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde etc ... I haven't read all, but enough to catch some of the quotes from their works deliciously sneaked into the dialogue here. For example, "Parting is such a sweet sorrow" from Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare, and "The suspense is terrible. I hope it lasts" from The Importance of Being Earnest by Wilde, among others.
I especially love one of the last lines in the movie where Dahl shows his total ability for sweet innocence (and Wilder delivers it to perfection) when Wonka tells Charlie, "And Charlie: don't forget what happened to the man who suddenly got everything he'd ever wished for." and Charlie asks, "What happened?" and this is when you're sure that he's gonna give you one of those righteous, cautionary, adult message of the preachy kind when he says, magically, "He lived happily ever after." *sigh* ...
But still, not a bad version of the book. The actors are all adequate, but Gene Wilder is fantastic, the best thing about the movie - he was the only aspect in the movie which was at least as good as what I envisioned while reading the book, if not better. And watch out for the twinkle in his his eyes! :)
This is also one of those movies where knowing the story beforehand doesn't really do much damage when you actually watch it, if anything you anticipate what happens.
Really the only thing to criticize - is that the movie isn't as good as our own imaginations. The other criticisms just make me laugh. Granted the special effects aren't that cutting-edge, but hey, this was made years ago and it's OK considering! Also I don't really feel it's too 'scary' for kids... I know lots of children who think that Roald Dahl's stuff are cool, and no, they don't grow up to become mass murderers. And true, there is a dark side to it, but it's got a good message to send. If anyone got traumatized, they probably grew up like a glass bubble. I'm not a kid anymore and I do still know how to enjoy it, perhaps it's even more amusing because you really get to appreciate the intelligence of the absurdity and the fun of the exaggerations that Dahl inevitably dishes out. It's silly, but perhaps that's why you love it.
Another thing ... really interesting to watch out for if you're familiar with the great works of Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde etc ... I haven't read all, but enough to catch some of the quotes from their works deliciously sneaked into the dialogue here. For example, "Parting is such a sweet sorrow" from Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare, and "The suspense is terrible. I hope it lasts" from The Importance of Being Earnest by Wilde, among others.
I especially love one of the last lines in the movie where Dahl shows his total ability for sweet innocence (and Wilder delivers it to perfection) when Wonka tells Charlie, "And Charlie: don't forget what happened to the man who suddenly got everything he'd ever wished for." and Charlie asks, "What happened?" and this is when you're sure that he's gonna give you one of those righteous, cautionary, adult message of the preachy kind when he says, magically, "He lived happily ever after." *sigh* ...