Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

Grandpa Joe hasn’t left his bed in years, then a Golden Ticket shows up and he’s dancing across the room, and nobody in the family asks one follow-up question. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is full of moments like that, and it’s better for them. The weak stretch is the first act. Charlie is a sweet, slightly blank kid, and the movie spends ages on newsreels and ticket hysteria before Wonka appears. Then Gene Wilder limps out of the factory on a cane, tips forward into a somersault, and the movie snaps into focus. He plays Wonka as kind, bored, sarcastic and possibly dangerous, sometimes in a single line. The candy room looks like a dessert you’re not allowed to touch. The boat tunnel is still the scariest thing in any kids’ movie. The Oompa Loompa songs land every time. It holds an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes. An 8.5 because Wilder makes a sugar rush feel a little dangerous. $204.17 says you peel back the wrapper on your next chocolate bar and feel a tiny flicker of hope.

What works: Gene Wilder’s mix of warmth and menace, the smug Oompa Loompa songs and that unforgettable boat ride.

What doesn’t: The first act drags through newsreels and ticket panic, and Charlie himself is more of a nice kid than a real character.

Who it’s for: Families on a rainy afternoon, and grown-ups who still remember the tunnel scene a little too clearly.