It grows on you - ignore WIlly Wonka and the Ompa-Lumpas

Rating: 8/10 (14 April 2012)

The problem is that I've seen films like "1984", "Battle Royale", "Gattaca" etc.. so this film seems to be a cliché driven movie right from the start. We start off with very little empathy for the characters - esp. the well dressed heroine who does not look emancipated. There's no sense of dread when they get called because I'm wondering WTF is Tim Burton's Willy Wonka doing in this apocalyptic film. And then when we reach the "city" - its filled with a whole bunch of Willy Wonka type of characters - and munchkins as news commentators.
At this point I'm really struggling to imagine a modern world where all the citizens of the greatest city in the world are dressed as Willy Wonkas. Sorry, I can't get that image out of my mind.
By the middle half of the film - however - I'm warming up to the characters. Partly because we see very little of the Willy Wonkas. And it goes up hill from there on.
I was pleasantly surprised that the dashing boyfriend does not make a surprise appearance. And that it did not end with a V for Vendetta style ending.