I expected more of the combination of Tim Burton & Johnny Depp. It was okay – just. I would have liked it darker, more sinister, but the producers obviously did not want to scare away a young audience. Worth watching on television or borrowed from the library; I would not pay to rent of buy it.

the oompa loompas- why were they v. badly rapping? was it so they would be more recognizable to a younger audience? was there just one?
is helena bonham carter in all of her husband’s movies?

i was disappointed w/the oompa loompas. johhny depp was a creepy willy wonka. i liked the beginning when all the toys caught on fire and melted and i loved the part where he tells everyone that everything in the room they were in was “eatable.” even he was eatable but that would be called cannibalism and that is frowned upon in this country. that made me laugh. i thought the squirrels were cute. i didn’t quite understand why they left out the part where charlie and his grandfather try the carbonated candy that made them float and the only way they could get down was by burping. although not crucial it does show that charlie was not a perfect kid. the movie really went downhill for me when willy and co. broke through charlie’s ceiling in the glass elevator. it was all downhill from there. hated the end. not everything is about acceptance.

Wow did that ever suck. Gene Wilder is the ONLY Willy Wonka in my book.

What Happened?! Remakes are hardly ever better or even as good as the original. Classic example. One big colourful disaster!

I have seen this movie so many times. And I adore it each time. The little boy in this movie is so cute and there are a couple of parts that make me all watery eyed every time I watch it!

How disappointing was this film?! Well, it was for me anyway. It’s not that I carried any enduring fondness for the Gene Wilder version (quite frankly, I think I was a bit spooked by it back when!) but… meh.

• Seeing Johnny Depp take yet another completely weird’n’different role.
• The oompa loompas. Or, all one of him. He rocked!
• Urm… the squirrels!
• The pretty colours?

• The kids – their roles felt like something to be disposed of as quickly as possible.
• The whole Willy Wonka’s childhood backstory. Yawn.
• The rather bland Bucket family.

Overall, it looked good, but it seemed to spend too much time with ‘The Message’ instead of just getting on with having fun.

Thanks (sincerely!) to my kids, I’ve seen the original Willy Wonka movie at least 50 times. It holds up so well every time, and Gene Wilder will always be Willy Wonka for me.

Tim Burton’s version is okay, although he seems to rely more heavily on visual effects than the story telling itself, which is a shame. Johnny Depp does a pretty good job, but just comes off as too creepy, and not the odd but likable Wonka that Wilder perfected.

Perhaps I shouldn’t compare too much with the older version, but if you’re going to remake such a widely-loved movie, you’re going to be competing with everyone’s memories. I don’t think Tim Burton did a good job filling those shoes.

My musings on the movie:
Such a sweet, sweet movie.
Truly, a delectable delight. Pardon the pun – but watching Roald Dahl’s enjoyable novel (children’s lit) coming to life in such a delicious way is one beautiful experience.
Of the gd ‘ol values of yore. And of course, there’s Johnny Depp too. ;)

I’ve never read the book (gasp!) so I can not judge how true to the book it is. All I can say is it was entertaining. I loved Johnny Depp in it.

But I thought it rather silly to make English people use American slang words like “jerk.” It didn’t ring authentic! Berk, maybe. Jerk, no.