The Gene Wilder version was much better

Rating: 3/10 (27 July 2005)

They took most of the fun and wit out of this movie compared to the 1971 version with Gene Wilder. In this one, Willy Wonka is a depressing weird loser instead of a wise prankster. He had none of the charm or appeal of Gene Wilder's Willy. All the characters were better in the 1971 movie except maybe Violet who had a little more going on this time. However her transformation into a blueberry is overdone and just looks like the computer FX it is. The oompa-loompa's are without personality and their songs are mostly unintelligible. The choreography was okay, but I couldn't help thinking, "Those CGI guys sure did a lot of work on that." Stick with the '71 version. The songs alone make it far superior to this corporate computerized makeover. The 2005 version definitely won't be remembered in 30 years.