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Gene Wilder vs Johnny Depp (Who is the best Willy Wonka?)

Who is the best Willy Wonka?

  • Gene Wilder

    Votes: 37 82.2%

  • Johnny Depp

    Votes: 8 17.8%
  • Total voters
    45

analogue

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Johnny Depp is a good actor but Gene Wilder smokes him as Willy Wonka
 
Definitely agree....I wasn't a big fan of JD's performance as WW...
 
In the words of The Nostalgia Critic (He remembers it so you don't have to)

Johnny Depp hurt me
 
Gene Wilder hands down! I am so glad to see that 100% of people have responded that way. His rendition of "Pure Imagination" is a staple of my childhood.

I think Michael would have done an outstanding job in that role too.
 
Gene Wilder.

I never quite understood the fascination with Johnny Depp (no offense to his fans).
 
No way! Johnny Depp was the best Willy Wonka. He was everything I imagined when I first read the Dahl book. JD made Wonka's passion for candy and chocolate more artistic and beautiful. Gene Wilder just creeped me out. That movie gave me nightmares as a kid, to be perfectly honest lol. I'm glad Tim Burton rescued it.
 
Gene Wilder.

Depp did a good job but I don't really like that version. It's just...a little strange to me (not Depp's performance, just the movie as a whole). The tone is kind of dark while the original has a light mood to it.
 
eric351982 said:
Gene Wilder hands down! I am so glad to see that 100% of people have responded that way. His rendition of "Pure Imagination" is a staple of my childhood.

I think Michael would have done an outstanding job in that role too.
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I LOVED and still love that song "Pure Imagination"--Gene Wilder's version that is. Reminds me of my childhood innocence. And yes, Michael would have been perfect for updated Willie Wonka.
 
enlightenu said:
I LOVED and still love that song "Pure Imagination"--Gene Wilder's version that is. Reminds me of my childhood innocence. And yes, Michael would have been perfect for updated Willie Wonka.
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I've heard people say that Depp looked like MJ in that movie, I don't see it though maybe it's the hair.
 
yeah lots of ppl said depp based the character on mj. he denied it
 
The original version is what I had always L.O.V.E. and prefer. Especially since that was the only version I had ever known ever since I first saw it in my first grade classroom. After my first grade teacher read the book to us. I remember being really angry when Hollywood decided to do a remake of that movie. I absolutely hated the remake of that movie. To me they just totally ruin it. Gene Wilder's version is way better than Johnny Depp's version.
 
I love classics, but I went with Johnny Depp - I think his performance is incredible, he's brillinat as Wonka. But yes, the original is the original, and I love the music in it way more. As a whole I like the originial film the most, but I love Depp as Wonka.
 
Gene Wilder has all the qualities I think the character needs..He is rude and sarcastic and completely potty in a believable way but has a childish , naive quality that is also needed..He plays it in such a way that you can think he is being mean and yet stil love him. And at the same time through all of the coldness and selfishness he has, still believe his emotional moments..Like the last scene.

One thing I loved as I watched it as an adult is the subtle, understated comedy in alot of the scenes..The irony and sarcasm was wonderful.I am talkking about the scenes where the man was with the psyhiatrist, the lady had her husband hostage and the news reporter saying things like

' There are many more important things that chocolate...many....right now i can't think of what they are.'

Alot of jokes you would not get as a kid and makes it an even better film because it is so layered..Lots of different types of comedy in this one

And that beginning bit with all the chocolate...(Homer simpson drooling impression)
 
As much as I love Johnny Depp, I think Gene Wilder played the part best. I'm sure I read somewhere that Gene Wilder didn't like Johnny's version much. I just thought Johnny as Willy Wonka seemed wrong and creepy, it seemed like throughout the film he just wasn't sure how he wanted to portray Willy Wonka. I find it funny that some people even compare him to Michael Jackson saying he based his version of Willy Wonka on him.
 
As much as I love Johnny Depp, I think Gene Wilder makes a better WW. I actually prefer the original movie to Tim Burton's version (which is surprising cos I love Tim Burton too!) :p
 
My sister said that Johnny Depp tried to make himself up like Michael Jackson too much. I didn't appreciate the inferences that JD brought to the role either. The film turned out to be quite scary and wierd for my tastes. It's Gene Wilder hands down, in my humble opinion.
 
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