Willy vs. Charlie

Published on by Live Vi-Carrie-ous

I’ve never been a Tim Burton fan.

I think I just don’t get him.

Corpse Bride? Why?

Edward Scissorhands? I wanted to love it. Failed.

But even I have to admit that pairing Tim Burton with Roald Dahl is genius. Add in Johnny Depp and the result seems guaranteed.

I held off seeing the 2005 movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory until recently.

The first movie adaptation, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, starred Gene Wilder in the wwtitle role and was released in 1971. I was twelve-years-old and had loved the book since my classroom teacher read it aloud a few years previously.

I didn’t love the movie immediately. But it did grow on me and I have a fondness for it now.

I didn’t expect to enjoy the 2005 Tim Burton and Johnny Depp version so I didn’t bother to watch it when it was released.

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The good: Burton and screenwriter John August kept the story closer to the original novel.
The (ironically) bad: The story as Dahl wrote it, was quite dark. It’s still dark, yet accessible. Children know the world is a dark and scary place and Dahl never condescended to his youngest readers. The movie holds to that standard.

The ugly: I had to humble myself and admit it’s quite good.

I still wouldn’t call myself a Tim Burton fan, but I certainly appreciate him and his work more now.

What movie or book forced you to change an opinion after you saw or read it?

 

 

 

2 thoughts on “Willy vs. Charlie”

  1. Hey Carrie! Interesting post. And yes, Burton on the Dahl books was a good match, I thought. The books have always had a dark edge that could so easily enter creepy-land and lose the softer edges.

    For me, the book that I delayed reading for a long time was the “Harry Potter” series. I’m not a fan when things are really hyped and super-popular, and I just didn’t think it’d be for me. Of course, once I read it, and the further I got into the series, the more I enjoyed it. I even got my husband hooked on the films that he was happy to watch the last ones. 😉

  2. Oh, I completely agree about not getting on the band-wagon of super popular stuff. I held out a long time against HP and then of course loved the books! I haven’t seen the last two or three movies yet. My way of making the experience last longer. 😉 I think I held out for a year or so before succumbing to Downton Abbey, too.

    Thanks for stopping by, S!

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