It's not quite what I remember it, but this film adaptation of Roald Dahl's book Charlie & the Chocolate Factory is still a whole lot of fun.
The film is set in a strange world where candy is a religion, and the mysterious Willy Wonka is God. We find out that the factory where all the Willy Wonka candy is made has not had a person enter or leave it in years, yet production is fast and furiously meeting demand. People in droves stand at the gates trying to get a glimpse inside, but guards always force them back.
Then one day an announcement is made, 5 golden tickets have been randomly placed inside Willy Wonka Bars - the prize for finding them: you and a family member get a grand tour of the factory. Pandemonium ensues while people savagely snap up and open up chocolate bars. The popular expression, how many have you opened.
As the days go by, the tickets are found - first by a young glutton from Germany; next by a rich little bitch from America; the third by a 24-hour-a-day-bubble-gum-chewing British girl; the fourth by a tv junkie; and the final by Charlie, who only wants to make a better life for his poor family and himself.
Inside the almost magical factory, the children cause a whole lot of mischief, one-by-one getting themselves into some precarious situation, separating the from the group, until only Charlie and his Grandpa Joe are left with Willy Wonka, who seems to be hiding something.
Of course everything turns out for the best and the ending is a happy one, but the fun of the entire movie lies in all the tricks and mysteries of the Chocolate Factory. There's a lot of inventiveness and imagination in the film, and a young Gene Wilder does a fantastic job in the role of a playful yet somewhat sinister Willy Wonka. A great film for children young and old.