Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)

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With the recent passing of Gene Wilder, I wanted to talk about this movie, which is one from my childhood. Is this the most faithful adaptation? No. That said, this is still a great movie. As far as children's movies go, it's fairly dark once you get past the seemingly warm and bubbly surface. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory works as something of a twisted morality tale. Before I go on, just to be safe, I would like to issue a potential spoiler warning. I want to briefly address the fan theory that surfaced on the internet, not something I normally do. The theory goes that Wonka himself is a serial killer. One of the things I feel adds to this theory (something that actually works in the movie's favor) is the fact that once these kids give in to their personal vices, they disappear and are never seen in the movie again. Wilder's performance in the movie (he really was the standout to me amidst a sea of really good, if not a little bit corny at times, acting) helps. He gives Wonka a sort of childlike innocence. There is, however, something else to this Wonka as well. Wilder in the movie comes off someone who always seems as though he may or may not be hiding something, possibly a little bit more sinister than he's showing. There's a lot of other great things to be seen in the movie as well. The production design might seem a little dated by today's standards, but it still still looks pretty damned good. As I said already, the other actors are really good too. Peter Ostrum as Charlie is really good, especially for a child actor in his first movie. The makeup on the Oompa Loompas looks great. They feel as though they are from another world. For the most part, the songs are incredible classics (even though the song Cheer Up, Charlie doesn't do much for me personally). The singing is fairly hit-and-miss for me. Gene Wilder's singing deserves just as much praise as the rest of his performance. Jack Albertson, the actor who portrayed Grandpa Joe did give a solid performance, but seemed to struggle with keeping in tune. Overall, despite some fairly minor flaws, I still love this movie, as more than a nostalgia trip.

9 / 10