GamecockDoc

Movie Review: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Went to see Willie Wonka for the second time, and it was even better this time. When I saw it opening night I was just really excited and comparing it to the book and the Gene Wilder movie. This time I just watched it for itself... watching Johnny Depp's expressions and paying attention to the scenery and music. It is amazing! Depp does such an amazing job as Willie Wonka... nothing like Wilder's version but somehow closer to what I imagine Roald Dahl had imagined. Darker, more sinister, with a secret and a strange personality just barely beneath the surface. Dahl had an amazing way of writing stories for children that were entertaining but dark. I don't think parents realize just how creepy they can be. I think of that when people say that the Harry Potter books are too dark and scary for kids because evil continues to exist and characters die. Then I remember reading Witches where children are transformed into mice and slugs so that adults will unknowingly kill them -- does children's fiction get creepier? Anyway, Depp really captured that feeling. He really gave the impression that he had planned for the children to be disposed of in just those particular ways... like he knew their character flaws and set them up. A very cool way to play it, I think.

posted by GamecockDoc @ 7:40 PM