I think we should boycott it
I’m serious. Why mess with perfection? The trailer’s out and the music is annoying, Johnny Depp looks silly and I am very disgruntled about the whole thing. What, is Tim Burton going to try to improve on The Wizard of Oz next? He’s made his own classics already, so why can’t he keep his sticky little fingers off of this one?
Here’s the trailer: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
(And if they were going to have to remake it, which they shouldn’t but if they had to because otherwise some bad guys were going to shoot some puppies or something, then they should have let Alan Cumming have the role. Watch that trailer but picture Alan playing the part. Much, much better.)
That’s just…. Ick.
I think I’m starting to hate Tim Burton a little bit.
You know, I love Willy Wonka. Meaning the movie. It means a lot to me. I love Gene Wilder. (Wilder!) I purchased it as soon as it came out on DVD.
But strangely, I didn’t hate the trailer. I really didn’t. I’m kinda interested in seeing the movie — and I’m not even a Tim Burton fan.
Hmm. My reaction is, to me, a bit disquieting.
There’s no earthly way of knowing
Which direction we are going.
There’s no knowing where we’re rowing
Or which way the river’s flowing.
Is it raining? Is it snowing?
Is a hurricane a blowing?
Not a speck of light is showing
So the danger must be growing
Are the fires of hell a-glowing?
Is the grisly reaper mowing?
Yes! The danger must be growing
For the rowers keep on rowing
And they’re certainly not showing
Any signs that they are slowing!
Heh, I just wrote about this, as I am a HUGE HUGE Gene Wilder fan, and just can’t bring myself to see it. I have liked some of Burton’s things - but I say, DO NOT TOUCH the original (on this one!)
Just watched a fab, early 70’s movie with Wilder and Newhart (called: thursday evenings) what a gem wilder is!
Actually, Clint Eastwood is remaking The Wizard of Oz up in Vancouver right now. Isn’t that bizarre?
LA LA bubble land. These people have no idea what they’re doing to us. No one should mess with Gene Wilder’s image. Remaking these movies–it’s a supreme act of hubris. If it’s been called a CLASSIC, that means it was just about perfect the first time folks. Sure, take some weird Hollywood B movie that no one cares about and remake it, but not classics. Dumb.
I do get worked up about this stuff.
You know, I’ve been foaming at the mouth ever since I first heard about this project. I have to say Johnny Depp’s amazing performance in Pirates of the Carribean gave me pause. But I’m still boycotting because no “Candyman,” no “World of Pure Imagination” no Gene Wilder’s sweet face at the end as her tells Charlie he’s giving him the factory…hang on, I’m tearing up…
So I had never seen the movie as a child, but when I happened to watch a bit of it at my aunt’s house last month, I was horrified at the way they treated the fat (which ofcourse equals lazy, greedy) kid . . . is there something I’m missing?
Yes, he was in fact greedy, gluttonous and disobedient (kept slurping up the chocolate river when Willy Wonka begged him to stop). He wasn’t judged by his appearance but suffered the consequences of his own actions.
Eeeew! What did they do to Depps face? He looks like he had a too tight face lift or something. He’s got that weird Michael Jackson doll face look.
You know, I’m with Melanie. I watched it again as an adult and I hated how the fat kid was depicted as a horrible pig. I remembered how, as a fat kid myself, I had felt so ashamed when I saw it in the theatre. When you’re fat, you know everyone thinks that about you, but that doesn’t make it easier to see fat people potrayed that way. I was one of the kids who thought Willy Wonka was scary. I loved the music, sets, all that. But Willy Wonka himself was so creepy to me- and I’m a big fan of Wilder too. When I watched it again recently, Wilder creeped me out just as much. Like he was somebody you would never leave alone with your kids.
Probably had something to do with that bizarre acid trip on the boat scene.
I love Gene Wilder, too, but I think what is icky about the original movie Charlie & the Chocolate Factory is consistent with what is icky about the book. Roald Dahl was a seriously bizarre writer. Read his childhood autobiographies for some understanding about the abuse he went through in boarding schools. (I think his mom died when he was very young, too, or maybe it was his dad.)
All the children are stereotypes of some kind, but the fat kid was treated the cruelest.
That said, though, yeah–why does Burton think he can redo this movie better than the original? There are so many good stories out there to do. Redoing a classic just seems lazy. And Depp in the trailer made me think of of a freaky clone of a young Julie Andrews.
I watched the WONKA trailer for the first time yesterday, and I have to say, to some extent, it looks like he is finally back in PEE WEE-SCISSORHANDS-BEETLEJUICE land, which are of course the films on which he built his reputation. So if it takes a WONKA to get this guy back on track after the yucky PLANET OF THE APES and BIG FISH, I’m all in.
I never noticed it before, but Johnny Depp looks like the love child of Irene Jacob and Isabella Rosselini.
Never saw the original until I was an adult, so I have no sentimental attachment to it. I’ll be interested to see this new one, although only if I can get free babysitting or go by myself. (It’s not worth $70 to me to see it on a date with my husband.)
Now redoing Wizard of Oz is just wrong.
I love Alan Cumming! And I didn’t know his name before this. I was always referring to him as some character in some film, and of course nobody knew what I was talking about.
You’re right. He would be great. I don’t see how anyone could improve upon Gene Wilder, though.
I’m not really upset about this because I don’t think it’s meant to be a remake of the Willy Wonka movie.
It’s meant to be another interpretation of the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
I love all three versions of the movie Little Women that I’ve seen. They aren’t remakes of each other. They are movie versions of the book. Each one includes something that the other versions missed.
That said, I didn’t watch the trailer so perhaps I have no room to comment.
I showed the trailer to my 21 y/o son and he wondered why they didn’t think to get Wilder to redo it? Wasn’t the whole idea of the story that Wonka wanted an heir, because he wouldn’t be around much longer? It seemed like Wilder was too young to be Wonka in the early movie, but that as an older man now, that aspect of the story would be more believable. Depp in that role–the costume and weirdly smooth crazy-eyed face–looks like a creepy Michael Jackson type.
I only like Burton movies for the scenery and the costumes. He tends to goof it up on the pacing and the storyline. Big Fish was pretty in parts, but I kept wondering “How much longer?” Nightmare Before Christmas was just a reminder of how very many bad rhyme-y stories there are out there; few other than Seuss can do those without sounding trite, pedantic and annoying.
Hmmm, I’m not sold on the new one. The first one was so amazing! Why remake it? And I love Tim Burton, but Johnny Depp just doesn’t seem to be a good fit for that part. Sigh.
Eww. Ewww. Eww!
I like Depp, but not with Tim Burton. Depp can be really good, and should have been a great Wonka. But Burton turns everything he touches to poo. Beautiful glorious eye-candy poo with horrible direction.
I second the motion to boycott this film. =\ I’ll go with the original sarcastic Gene any day.
I have to disagree. But I am biased, and a huge fan of the three: Depp/Burton and Elfman. I think together they always make excellent films. I for one will be front and center on opening day.
I’m very releived that people share my sentiment about this. Willy Wonka was an amazing movie, probably the best movie I’ve ever seen. Why remake something that’s already outstanding? The preview is verging on morbid, with black rooms and warped trees, and who thought of putting pink lipstick on JOhnny depp and putting his hair in a bob? He looks ridiculous and they’ve compeletely butchered a classic. How would Tim Burton feel if Edward Scissorhands was remade? -An interesting point my little bro brought up….Willy Wonka never used hate….JOhnny Depp already said that in the new -ugh-preview.