bkoganbing Even with Johnny Depp's darker portrayal of Willy Wonka of more recent vintage out there, what Gene Wilder did with the part stands out as the definitive Wonka for our times. I'm willing to bet that more families rent this one than Johnny Depp's.In Roald Dahl's children's fantasy the great candymaker Willy Wonka locked up his candy factory because of industrial spying by his competitors. No one goes in or out except the raw material and the candy. Now however it's worldwide news that Wonka is opening his giant River Rouge GM like plant for five lucky adolescent tourists. They will be determined by five lucky golden tickets found in Wonka Bars.That fifth one goes to Peter Ostrum who takes the tour with his grandfather Jack Albertson. The other kids who are showing various degrees of spoiled also have adult companions. The four other kids, well they don't quite finish the trip. As they rather colorfully drop out Gene Wilder has some snarky comments. Accompanied by the pygmy tribe of Oompa-Loompas who Willy Wonka moved from their Pacific island home to work in his factory. This part I thought was truly stretching it as these little guys look a whole lot like slaves working on the old plantation.The film got an Oscar nomination for Best Musical Scoring and the song The Candy Man became a big old hit for Sammy Davis, Jr.After almost 50 years the Candy Man can and is still doing it.

lockoffmydad This film is so charming that it's almost annoying. I love every second of it.

thedarkknight-99999 It's Gene Wilder, at the top of his form, who made this unique imaginative adventure more vibrant and gleeful. His energetic performance is by no means different from Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins. He absolutely deserved ,at least, an Oscar nomination. The movie lost some of its sharpness and suffered from some monotony after some time from reaching the factory. But besides the gorgeous production design and cool visuals, there was Wilder's charisma that helped to elevate the movie. The first half of the movie has great emotional value, and established the characters very well. Also, it feature some of the most beautiful songs of the movie. But due to the fast pacing, there was an action in the first half that felt forced, if it was necessary to serve a turning point of the story.There are many powerful and very important messages in the movie. But the greatest thing about them is not actually the messages themselves, as we witnessed them delivered in a lot of movies before, but it's how genuine these messages seem as they are delivered in this particular story. Peter Ostrum is great in his first and ,unfortunately, his last role. There are many dramatic scenes that required a very good actor and he is. Actually, I didn't feel for even a moment that this is his acting debut. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is a total blast from start to finish. It's Scrumdiddlyumptious! (8.5/10)

eribertogarciatorres The late Gene Wilder shines as Willy Wonka. The film brings the book to life.Willy Wonka was released on June 30, 1971. The film was not a big success, being the fifty-third highest- grossing film of the year in the U.S., earning just over $2.1 million on its opening weekend,although it received positive reviews from critics such as Roger Ebert, who compared it to The Wizard of Oz. But kids of today really enjoy this.