Originally posted by: Ashley.Tisdale
In Hollywood though, there doesn't seem to be a fixed formula. Sometimes the original is better and other times the remake.
Recently I have been helping my 8 year old niece study during the lockdown so I relived my childhood too 😆 I've been teaching her Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and it was her who got me thinking this because she asked me which film should she watch since there are two versions.
Obviously I told her first not to watch the films until her exams are over (they happen within the next month)to avoid confusion between the book and movie(s).
I had seen both the versions, in fact I saw the original 'Willy Wonka' before I read the book...and during my term year I watched the newer Tim Burton version.
Imo our generation was kinda blessed in this aspect because we got the newer film while reading the book in school and I felt the following. You'd either love or hate either films, there's no in between.
With the original, the nostalgia flavour was high but even as a child I did not enjoy it because the sets looked fake and there was too much colour and happiness while Grandpa Joe and Charlie were d**ks 😆 Never enjoyed that version of Willy Wonka too.
But the newer version was much more true to the book, the actors were perfectly cast, Tim Burton captured the essence of a Roald Dahl book perfectly. If you've ever read this author's work, there is always a disturbing underline tone. The books have always been dark, but you'd realise that when you got older. I knew this right from the beginning because I was a bookworm. 😆
So of course I prefered the beer adaptation. Also technology was upto date by this time so the VFX was fab. Danny Elfman did an amazing job with the score. But the person who takes the cake is definitely Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka. This was exactly how Wonka should've been! Wonka was an extremely dark character, there is an unsettling air of mystery about him in the book because you don't know where he comes form or who he is, you just trust him. As a reader, things seem innocent as the book is meant to be from a child's viewpoint albeit it being written in third person.
Ofc Tim Burton added his own backstory for Wonka which imo even worked with the story unlike the entire Slugworth track in the original film.
But Johnny Depp's Wonka was brilliant. You see his stunted mind growth and lack of social skills from being isolated since years. You also see that its his childlike mind that makes him create those amazing chocolates coz lets be real, no adult could come with the ideas Wonka came up with. Plus the punishments that each kid gets is very disturbing. But Wonka isn't a sadist, he is a child trapped in a man's body. Not a man-child. You see he believes in "the bad kids should get what they deserve" and even though he's planned the entire tour and knows exactly what would happen to the kids you can see that his actions aren't one of a sadist, but of a man who does not understand the severity.
May I just add here #JusticeForJohnnyDepp (bring Capt Jack Sparrow and Grindlewald 😭)
Ya so like I said, most off the audience prefers the original because of the high nostalgia factor but in reality, even from a neutral perspective, the remake was much better than the original in every aspect. As a book lover it was a treat for me to watch a movie which was very close to the book. The fact that they stuck to the original lyrics for the Oompa Loompa songs written by Roald Dahl himself was freaking awesome.
Performance wise also the remake was better but there are people who prefer Gene Wilder since that's who they grew up watching. Not to demean Mr. Wilder ofc he is a great actor, but Johnny Depp's portrayal was much much more like the Wonka I envisioned. His stares, creepy dialogues and voice just adds to the insane darkness of the character.
This is one instance where nostalgia has clouded the audience's judgement.
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