Review of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) by Charlotte H — 08 Mar 2016

'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory' is not entirely faithful to Roald Dahl's children's classic, but if appreciated as a film alone, you're in for a treat - and a scrumdiddlyumptious one at that!

Gene Wilder excels himself as Willy Wonka, and his remarkable talent is the driving force of the film. As for the child actors, Veruca is easily the best, and I thoroughly enjoyed her little musical number - that none of the other children got the luxury of having! However, the Oompa Loompa songs were monotonous and extremely boring; yet I'll guess we'll have to forgive them due to the inclusion of the classic 'Pure Imagination', and who can forget 'The Candy Man'!

As for the visuals, however, I can't really comment - anything that's the height of technology in 1971, is going to be extremely outdated in 2016. In spite of this, 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory' still has a timeless feel to it, although the dated atmosphere is likely to be more greatly appreciated by children of the era.

Although I do prefer the 2005 adaptation of 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory', this will always be one of my favourites and is wholly deserving of its 'classic status'!