Reviewed by thepunktheory on
I can't even tell you how much I love the movie adaptation with Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. This film is truly magical. Although I am not a big fan of musical, I can sing along to each song in this one. Mel Stuart created a colorful world that invites you to dream.
So, I was pretty excited to finally check out the book. The one I got from the library also feature some illustrations, that means double fun, right?
Turns out, it's not. First of all, I disliked the pictures. There were not near as exciting or lovely as any part of the movie. In fact all the drawings seemed dull and boring, I definitely expected something better.
However, the book itself also let me down a bit. Usually the adaptations are not as impressive as the novel but in this case it's the other way round. To be honest, not only the drawings felt a little lifeless. The story itself and the picture Roald Dahl paints with his words is not nearly as breath-taking and entertaining as the film. It's a decent story but you don't get dragged in, you don't end up wishing you could actually visit Willy Wonka factory. Moreover, Gene Wilder's interpretation of Mr. Wonka was by far funny than how he was depicted in the book. This being a story for children you'd expect it to be silly or a bit more imaginative.
Summing up I can clearly vote for the film in this case. The adaptation is far lovelier than the book!
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 14 January, 2016: Finished reading
- 14 January, 2016: Reviewed