Johnny Depp can't hold a candle to Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka, but this is still a good second adaptation of the book

Rating: 8/10 (29 April 2010)

In 2005, I heard about this then-new version of Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and how Johnny Depp played Willy Wonka in it. It had been years since I had last read to book and seen the original 1971 adaptation, "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory", but I still remembered the story very well and went to see this second big screen adaptation in the theatre. I was impressed at the time and still was months later when I saw it again on DVD. Earlier this month, I watched the 1971 film for the first time probably since the late 1990s, and thought it was an overall excellent family film. Over a week later, I watched this Tim Burton version again for the first time in several years, and thought it slightly inferior but still very good.
Charlie Bucket is a young boy in a poor family, which consists of him, his two parents, and his four bedridden grandparents. His father can barely support the family by working in a toothpaste factory. Near their run-down home is a chocolate factory, run by a reclusive man named Willy Wonka, whom Charlie's Grandpa Joe used to work for. Nobody knows who currently works there, as nobody is ever seen entering or exiting the building, but world renowned candy keeps coming out of it! When it is announced that Wonka has put golden tickets into five different candy bar wrappers, which could be found anywhere in the world, and the five recipients will get a tour of his factory, chaos begins! The first four tickets are acquired by four mean-spirited kids, and since Charlie's family can hardly ever afford chocolate, it's highly unlikely that he will get one. However, after he finds money left out in the snow, he goes to buy a Wonka bar with it, and finds the fifth and final golden ticket inside! He gets to go on the tour, and takes Grandpa Joe along, but they are in for some surprises!
One of the major differences between the two movie adaptations is Johnny Depp's portrayal of Willy Wonka here. It was apparently inspired by several famous children's TV hosts, and this version of the character is not one of the stronger aspects of the film, and not one of Depp's strongest performances. It cannot compare with Gene Wilder's portrayal, though it isn't exactly bad, and the character can be pretty funny at times here. Despite that one flawed performance, the cast of this 2005 version is mostly very strong. In the role of Charlie, Freddie Highmore is just as good here as Peter Ostrum is in the 1971 film. They also got talented cast members to play Charlie's family members, including David Kelly as Grandpa Joe and another common Tim Burton recast (like Depp), Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Bucket. Most of the cast performances are impressive, another example being Deep Roy digitally multiplied as the Oompa Loompas, who sing songs, play musical instruments, and parody various rock bands! I just didn't care much for Missi Pyle as Mrs. Beauregarde. This film has the usual dark and amazing Tim Burton visuals, and like the 1971 version, great sets were made for Willy Wonka's factory! For the most part, the story is very entertaining as well, even if the ending could have been a bit better thought out.
Some say it's best not to compare the two silver screen adaptations of Roald Dahl's classic children's book, but since I've watched this one again shortly after revisiting the original after so many years, it's kind of hard for me not to. 2005's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" is unsurprisingly weaker than 1971's "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory", and I know many fans of the first adaptation have shown great disdain for this remake, but personally, I think both of them are highly entertaining family movies, though I can understand how Johnny Depp's portrayal of the reclusive factory owner could put many viewers off. This Tim Burton film does take some liberties with the story, and I would be giving away too much if I mentioned many of them, though it also features aspects of the book not included in the 1971 version, such as Mr. Bucket being alive and working in a toothpaste factory and Grandpa Joe telling his grandson about chocolate palace in India, not that I'm saying any of this is good or bad. If you're a fan of the book, both adaptations could be a lot of fun to watch.