Which "Charlie and the Cocolate Factory" movie do you prefer?
 

The Tim Burton one with Depp as Wonka, or the one with Wilder?

Despite the cheesey psychadelia, I still prefer the earlier one. Gene was a great Wonka, and Depp annoyed me.

This is just no freaking contest. Wilder one by far. Anyone who says otherwise deserves to be beaten with a sack of rusty doorknobs.

The Wilder version. While the Depp version may be more accurate as far as the book is concerned, I don't care. The earlier version was far more entertaining.

The Wilder version, no contest. Hate the Depp one. I've given it numerous chances to grow on me but it's just plain terrible.

The Depp version does have its merits. Definitely wouldn't say it's better by any step, but it did have some merits. I mostly like Burton's take on it.

Then again, Wilder's version of Wonka, especially where he acts like he might be on acid, is awesome.

It's not that I thought the Depp version was terrible. It's just the precedent had been set in my childhood with the Wilder version, and I knew from the second I heard about the new version that I was going to have a hard time accepting it. As expected, that's the case.

I don't know about that. For one, CatCF was actually a commercial and critical success, unlike the Cable Guy. for another, Depp's known for being awesome, whereas Carrey just isn't. A bad movie here and there won't hurt Johnny Depp, and even then, I somehow doubt he's kicking himself, or his fans are really condemning him.

It's Tim Burton. I expected to be blown away, TBQH. then again, Burton was a big part of my youth as well as Willy Wonka, so that could be part of it. I wouldn't expect just ANYONE to top the original, but Burton? Yeah, I was thinking it'd happen.

I'm not sure you actually mean out of character. Depp's shown a pretty broad range of characters in his career, from serious to absurd.

I can't imagine either Depp or Burton thinking that portrayal of Wonka was a good idea, but out of character?

Earlier version, not even a choice.

I'd multi-quote the entire thread, but I'm lazy.

Obviously Gene Wilder.

Although I enjoyed the Burton version, the old one is a classic.

Those Oompa Loompa's in the Burton film are what I really disliked about it.

Yeah I liked the version with Depp in it but the older one is one of the classics that you've seen as a child 500 times and still liked it.

wow, might be a first time ever at TPWW where everyonr agrees

Wilder easily

I'm with the majority.

Gene Wilder's version FTW.

There is just no escaping the sheer awesomeness that is Gene Wilder. Depp's Wonka came off like a pedophile.

Wilder

Didn't not enjoy the Depp version, just found the schmaltz laid on a little thick, and I dunno, I just love Gene Wilder

I'm going to pretend you didn't just call Carrey "Funny as Hell."

Totally scary. Hold me. :shifty:

When I was younger, and they were talking about doing a remake (I mean, this is one of those movies they've been doing for like a decade or so. I think I first heard about it in 1994), I said they should get Michael Jackson to play Wonka, simply because there were so many character similarities. It was a joke at the time, but I think Jacko would have played a less Jackson-esque character than Depp did.

And that's the problem with Depp's performance. Depp beat us over the head with the performance. Wonka should be over-the-top, but he should not have every nuance of his character screamed out at the top of the actor's lungs.

Also, I always thought of Wonka as a somewhat-sympathetic character, something Wilder portrayed well, even in a movie that wasn't exactly a faithful re-enactment. After watching the new movie, I kept thinking "Man, I loved the visuals and Burton's spin on the WORLD of Willy Wonka, but I wanted to kick Wonka in the balls.


It's kinda bad when you're schmaltzier than a 70s musical.

The kids in the 2nd movie really annoyed me as much as Depp did. They didn't clique as much as the kids in Wilder's did. same with the parents.

Wilder. Depp had a lot to live up to, and I'm glad he didn't try and be Gene Wilder. I wonder what we'd all be saying if there was no original, though.

KK, was one of these on tv recently? Odd timing for discussion.

I'd add that Veruca Salt and Violet were annoying, but not in the right way.

damndest, odd as it sounds, the 70s version was a staple of my family around Christmastime. I found myself getting nostalgiac, so I watched it Christmas Eve. I think it must have been a movie we got for Christmas one year or something.

A Christmas Story is one of the best films ever. :D

Back on topic, I never saw the one with Johnny Depp, but the one with Gene Wilder is still the best by miles.

Wilder by far.

YOU GET NOTHING

Fun story: I went out to eat with my folks on Christmas Eve last year, and we went for Chinese. Lo and behold, A Christmas Story was playing on the restaurant's TV, and the "fa-ra-ra-ra-raaaa" scene came on right when we walked in. Once I saw what was playing, I couldn't stop laughing for almost an hour.

*sigh*...every damn year with that movie.

Earlier version by a landslide.

The original is probably my favourite movie ever. Watched it time and again as a kid. I'd never get sick of it.

The new one is just shit. The Oompa Loompa songs were awful (actually I can't even remember if there were any?) and you'd think in this day and age, 35 odd years ago since the original, they could make the factory look breathtaking, but it didn't even look like a chocolate factory.

The original chocolate fountain, fizzy lifting drink machine thing, and glass elevator were just quality. I hated Depp as Wonka too. I've heard that he is actually more of what Dahl envisioned of Willy Wonka the character, but as many have said, Wilder was way more entertaining and just crazy. I watched the Family Guy recently with the Wonka parody, that just made me get all the tunes stuck in my head and find the old tape and put it on again :D

We used to watch that, too. It's one of the first movies we ever owned on VHS. But that one's Christmas themed, so it makes more sense.

There were, and they were the originals from the book (give or take).

I have to admit that I was nonplussed by some of the choices in scoring for the songs, but they weren't bad.

Ah yes. I have the book right here. I see all the original Dahl Oompa Loompa songs that he wrote and were used in he new film. From flicking through this I can see how the newer one follows the book much more accurately, and I can see how Dahl was unhappy with the original movie. Maybe they were just trying to correct the original? Although we've all said our bit, the kids of today loved the new one, and we'd all obviously prefer the original as it's what we grew up with.

I don't know what kids prefer, because I don't really walk around asking kids.

For one thing, parents frown on it.

I actually thought being more true to the book would be a plus, but it ended up really not being for me.

That being said, I'm still a bit surprised that it was this unanimous. I mean, really, people generally hope the version they like more will end up being the more popular one, but GOD DAMN.

I know my mates' younger siblings all loved the new one. Don't know if they preferred it or not, but I know they loved it anyway.

Gene Wilder, the kid who played Charlie and the actor who played Grandpa Joe in the 70's version made the movie work. Charlie and Grandpa's chemistry gave it a heart, while Gene Wilder gave us an entertaining, snarky, smirking, sometimes vicious Willy Wonka.

The new version lacked both of those elements. I believe that Tim Burton, who has done great work, was far too focused on "his vision" of maintaining nearly every core of Dahl's book, and didn't spend enough time developing his characters in the script. Also, I think he was hoping that Depp would knock it out of the park and carry the viewers through to the end with a massively entertaining performance, which, unfortunately, isn't what happened.

Don't know how old your mates' younger siblings are, but I do know that kids will watch The Land Before Time part 25 and think it was better than the original because it had brighter colors and the dinosaurs sang songs.

Does that mean somebody made a great movie with TLBT 25? Absolutely not. It means kids these days will watch anything "geared" towards them and will generally like it.

I agree, especially on Wonka. Also, I miss child actors who were relatively believable. Part of that is because my ex is a huge Harry Potter fan and I've watched Radcliffe and Watson chew the scenery like 900 times.

I mean, the acting wasn't perfect, but it was relatively believable. And that was far more than I could say for the characters in the new version.

Wilder by far

:naughty: