Suspense (full of Spoilers)

Rating: 6/10 (2 August 2005)

Watched this last night. As a film in it's own right it's pretty good, but is not anywhere near as good as the 1971 version.
What disappointed me most was how everything seemed so rushed. There was no suspense whatsoever. Every bar Charlie opened, he did fast. It didn't seem like a child who only gets 1 bar per year. The wait to enter the factory was non-existent, as soon as they got there they were allowed in. In hindsight, suspense is what made the 1971 one so good.
There was also a real lack of characterisation. Once in the factory most of the guests rarely speak, and if anything Charlie is the most outspoken. There is little conversation between the guests. There's too much concentration on Wonka being wacky. Also, why has Mike TeeVee got an interest in video games, not TVs.
Some of the "laughs" are also very poorly done. Grandma Josephine (?) who comes out with random comments - typical old person who can't hear, hilarious, not seen that before. Wonka walking into glass elevator, better do it twice in case no-one laughed the first time. Mike TeeVee "mumbling", just the three times for that one.
Also the Oompa Loompas were not particularly easy to understand. Old ones were miles better.
Now onto the ending, what's with all this family nonsense? This isn't in the book.
What's with Charlie offering to sell his ticket? Nonsense.
Not a bad film in all, but it's been hit by the American bug of making a film unnecessarily cheesy. Why didn't Wonka invite the whole family to the factory like in the book? Disappointing.