Well, let me introduce you to the mysterious, eccentric Willy Wonka and to Charlie, the poor boy who doesn’t have the faintest hint that one of his greatest dreams will come true.
Basically, the movie is about a contest where whoever can get a gold ticket inside a chocolate bar will have a lifetime supply of chocolate and the chance to enter the Wonka Candy Factory. The factory is a fantasy land filled with dancing midgets called Oompa Loompas and chocolates with powers far beyond those of common Hershey bars. As the story goes, Charlie gets the last gold ticket by sheer luck.
At last, the day of entering the Wonka Factory arrives and Charlie and his Grandpa Joe and four other lucky winners, together with their parents, find themselves transported to a world full of surprises, fun, delightfully sinful candies and even danger. As their adventure unfolds, one child after another gets into trouble and has no choice but to abruptly end the tour of the factory. The children get a real treat when Willy Wonka gives each of them an Everlasting Gobstopper, a candy one can suck forever but which remains the same.
After seeing Chocolate Falls, riding a boat on the Chocolate River, and tinkering with some of Wonka’s experiments, only Charlie and his Grandpa Joe remain. They think everything is alright but it turns out, Charlie has forfeited his prize of a lifetime supply of chocolates when he and his grandpa make the mistake of drinking Wonka’s concoction that makes people float. Because of Willy Wonka’s unexpected rudeness, Grandpa Joe gets angry and tells Charlie they should go. And he gives the impression that he’s willing to give to Slugworth, Wonka’s enemy, the Everlasting Gobstopper. But the honest Charlie, even though crestfallen, still opts to return to Willy Wonka the coveted candy. This changes Wonka’s demeanor and he tells Charlie that it is just a test and the man who poses as Slugworth is in Wonka’s employ. Thus the story ends and Willy Wonka hands over to Charlie the whole Chocolate Factory and instructs him to move his impoverished family to the fantasy land.
I was nine years old when I first saw this movie and I think it is one of the reasons why until now, I think twice before indulging myself in something, whether it’s food, clothes or shoes. No, the Oompa Loompas didn’t traumatize me but seeing the consequences of being a naughty child has made me conscious of my manners.
Although it may seem to be a mediocre film to some people, it isn’t to me because I believe it tackles profound moral issues which were overlooked then and even now. Also, this film makes you wistful about youth and those times when you didn’t have to think about calories and how long you had to be on the treadmill just because you had ice cream and cake for dessert. When you’re a kid, candy is a dream, a fluffy white cloud of chocolate joy. For adults, candy is poison, a fat-filled brick of love handles, pimples, and excessive flatulents. But, Willy Wonka, despite being a film about sugar-tooth delights, brings joy to adult and child alike.
Here, Wilder makes his mark as an amazing character actor, specializing in the disturbing and wildly wonderful secrets of the world. With Wilder’s Wonka as a guide, the Chocolate Factory comes to life as an amazing fantasyland, a place where anything, any dream or even any nightmare can come true. But there are lessons to be learned in a place where your fondest wish can be your greatest downfall. The Gobstoppers may be sugar- coated, but the movie is not. Willy Wonka deals with child issues such as greed, selfishness, and vanity in harshly adult ways. But Wonka never strays too far down the path of realism, maintaining a child-like innocence throughout Wonka’s wacky world.
Unlike other films which seem to indulge in bad parenting and the me-first behavior of modern society, Wonka dives in like a sugared-up Barney Fife and nips it in the bud. The unexpected is crucial and each moment of the film brings something you are unlikely to ever see. Yes, at times the cheesiness is thick. And even though it may seem a little hokey to watch Charlie fly through the air in a glass elevator, somehow, Wonka manages to make even these most absurd scenes exhilarating.
I know Willy Wonka doesn’t have even the quarter of popularity Harry Potter has, or the notoriety of Vin Diesel’s Triple X. But one thing’s for sure – even if I may be the only Gen X’er who knows about this movie, I won’t be ashamed to admit that it ranks number one in my book.