web-goddess: Johnny Depp as Wonka

Friday, October 29, 2004

Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka. Speaking as lifelong Roald Dahl fan (and someone who'd happily have Johnny Depp's baby anytime), this is just wrong, wrong, WRONG. There are so many levels of wrongness I don't know where to begin. Oh no, wait, I do. What the hell is the point of Wonka finding an heir if he's only forty years old? He's supposed to be an old man! Gahhhh. Looking at the cast list only brings up more confusion. Helena Bonham-Carter as Mrs. Bucket? That character is only in the book for, like, five pages. (The musical increased her part by killing off Mr. Bucket.) And that the hell is this: Christopher "Count Dooku" Lee as "Willy Wonka's Father." Seriously, what the hell is that? Willy Wonka's father doesn't exist! When I spoke to Felicity Dahl about this adaptation three years ago, she stressed repeatedly that they were going to try to be accurate to the book in a way that the musical wasn't. Looking at it now, I can only surmise that somebody sold out Roald's legacy in a big way. (Link courtesy of Kevin.)

Comments

Sounds like it may be an interesting adaptation, tho. I could probably re-read the book, but I remember when I was a kid it seemed weirdly dark. I would understand why for the movies they would play up the bad acid trip angle. Makes it all allegorical-like.
» Dan » 2004-10-30 06:29:29

Eh, but it's not "bad acid" trippy. You just remember it that way because the movie took that angle. The book is dark but never scary.
» Kris [www] » 2004-10-30 08:37:37

The only reason Helena is in it is because she is married to Tim Burton. She is in ALL of his stuff.
» amy [www] » 2004-10-30 09:08:15

Leave a Comment

Please note: As this post is over two weeks old, your comment will not appear until it has been moderated.

Name:

* optional

Save as cookie?

E-mail:

* Website:

What colour is an orange? (Spam prevention.)

» about » archives » photos » contact

archived post

This is where my weblog goes to die. Every post has a permanent home, so this is where you should link if you're so inclined.

"RunningBlog" refers to posts related to running that are cross-posted over at geekgirlrunner.

"Moblog" refers to posts and images posted directly from my mobile phone.

"PW Blog" refers to posts recovered from my very first weblog, which dealt with news related to my college dorm.