It's easy to grow weary of the IP merry-go-round. Every story you've ever cared about seems to get constantly diluted via sequels, threequels, prequels, reboots, live-action remakes and TV series. The pipeline churns, the algorithm demands familiarity, and somewhere along the way the original spark gets buried under franchise obligations and box office hedging. So when Netflix announced a new animated movie of Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, my heart sank.
But then a little voice reminded me of something. Personally it was only with the fifth Hunger Games movie, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, that I felt Hollywood had truly captured the spirit of the Suzanne Collins books. Maybe then, I reasoned, I should keep my mind open about this latest reinvention of Roald Dahl's classic tale.
