Wow...

Rating: 8/10 (12 February 2006)

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was my favorite book as a child. I've probably read it a million times, and I still love it with all my heart. Roald Dahl is my all-time favorite author for his amazing imagination and wonderful books. When I first heard that Tim Burton (one of my favorite directors ever) was directing the newest movie version, I literally was ecstatic.
I am being very honest by saying that I absolutely, 100%, hated the 1st version. First off, it didn't even have the right name. The book title starts out with Charlie, not Willy Wonka. Also, I was shocked at how different the movie was to the book. Of course, the director would add and change things to make the movie more interesting, but at least don't change the major points. But probably the part I hated the most was the Oompa Loompas. Really, anyone who has read the book knows that the Oompa Loompas look like regular people, just a lot shorter and smaller. These "creatures" had green hair and orange skin. It's utterly amazing how scary they looked.
So, enough about the 1st version. I have been told my the majority of my friend who have watched both versions that they liked the 1st one better. I must admit, I was disappointed that Tim Burton had to add the part about Wonka's father and how Willy Wonka's factory came to be. The original story is a great one, but the added history with Willy and his father was very well thought out, and I think that Tim Burton picked the perfect person to play Wilbur Wonka.
Right now, my biggest fear concerning this movie is that someone (hopefully not Tim Burton) will make a HUGE mistake and start working on a sequel to this movie. I loved the 1st book, but the second one (Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator) was the biggest mistake Dahl made. I really think that CATCF would have been such a better book without the sequel, but CATCF as a movie will be 10 times better without a follow-up. So to all you movie directors out there, if you're reading this, don't spoil a perfectly good movie. Leave it alone.