A sweet and loony adventure complete with awes, chimeras, and delights

Rating: 9/10 (16 July 2005)

A marvelously delectable, albeit bizarre and ingratiating concoction, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" assembles enough "freaks and treats" for deliciously satisfying entertainment that will have you scratching your head in bemusement in strange areas and licking your lips in its visual feast. The new "Wonka" tale of the fantastic world of sweet delights is far less "charming" in terms of innocence and conventional in terms of story structure than the Gene Wilder version of Dahl's masterpiece, but rather, it deviates as an eccentric, thrilling, and downright psychedelic adventure into the realms of fruitful imagination and awesome aberration. In some respects, it's still that endearing little tale of a wondrous happening realized for an indigent little boy, Charlie Bucket, who dreams of bigger and better things, yet stays dear and true to his family in any matter. Freddy Highmore instills the adorable innocuous, curious, and faithful nature of Charlie Bucket, and gives us plenty of reason to cheer for his golden day of fun being realized, even after the selfless lad initially declines the "golden ticket", out of concern for his family's living conditions. On the other hand, a child of a different nature, Willy Wonka, is explored on less empathetic terms, and we can only gather from his various reflections that his eccentric, uncanny, and somewhat eerie nature is founded on repression and emotional neglect, leading him to eventually realize that "chocolate is the only thing that makes sense". Willy Wonka, we come to realize, is one strange, unadulterated hermit, who has compassion for his "Oompa-Loompas" and a zealous proclivity for chocolate, but has little concern for anyone or anything else the world over. Perhaps nothing can explain some of his capricious, agitated tendencies, or his ghastly, gleeful countenance, or his mousy articulation, or anything else, for that matter. Through the bizarre and fascinating journey through Willy Wonka's factory, we become immersed in a visual feast of dazzling set designs, gorgeous colors, and marvelous, innovative visual effects that enthrall our senses and compensate for whatever bizarreness we encounter along the way from Depp's "Wonka in Neverland". It's a wickedly gorgeous, thrilling, and freaky adventure of a movie that can be sweet and ravishing, fruitful and wondrous, or bizarre and zany whenever it pleases, and we get a sweet taste of it all throughout. For those who detract and even dismiss the cinematic quality of the film for Depp's "zany, over-the-top, creepy" interpretation of Willy Wonka, I would argue that one can easily get past this weirdness by absorbing all of the visual splendor, or beating to the trippy, zany Danny Elfman score, or appreciating some fantastic talent all around from the adorable cast of children, to enjoy a perfectly delightful film experience. It's wild and crazy, but it's also sweet, thrilling, and fascinating- a real treat for those who can stomach Johnny Depp's bizarre, inexplicable antics, and I can assure you, there are plenty of reasons why you can. I wouldn't entrust my child in this Wonka's hands, but I wouldn't deny my child this wonderful cinematic experience, either. I'll take Tim Burton's crazy and exciting trip in Willy Wonka's wondrous factory any day over flocking to much of the uninspired, banal refuse that's normally hogging multiplexes in the summertime. You don't even need the heart of a child that explodes with joy at the finding of that last golden ticket to enjoy this "Chocolate Factory"- just bring an open mind and a thirst for adventure and visual delight, and you may discover a real treat indeed. Much of it may even dance in your mind long after a regular "sugar rush" and some of the Oompa-Loompa singing numbers are not to be missed or forgotten! ***1/2 out of ****