Disappointing Visuals and Poor Directoral Decisions.

Rating: 5/10 (21 July 2005)

I did not have high expectations going in because the trailer did not look that great to me. Still, I was disappointed by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. There were some funny moments, decent visuals, and Johnny Depp was incredible as always, but at the end of the movie I just did not feel anything.
First of all, and for the bazillionth time, this is not a remake of the 1971 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. They are both inspired by the same novel from Roald Dahl, but this version claims to be more faithful to the novel (which it's not). There is a lot I disliked about the movie, so here's a quick, yet descriptive, list of things: 1. Willy Wonka was "given a point." However, Charlie says "Candy doesn't have to have a point. That's why it's candy." Along the same lines, Willy Wonka doesn't need to have a point, but director Burton and writer August felt the need to make him more human for some reason.
2. The Oompa Loompa's were all one person (Deep Roy). They were creepy instead of cute and fun. There was no reason to have them all look the same.
3. Along those lines, the songs (except the Willy Wonka theme song) were horrendous. They were all like short acid trips. Then again, everything after the first 25 minutes was like a long acid trip.
4. It was visually bland for a Tim Burton film. It doesn't even look as good as the 1971 film. Everything looked like sets out of a Disney ride like A Small World. What happened to the guy that directed Batman and Edward Scissorhands? I'm not saying use CGI, but get a better set designer at least.
5. At the beginning the narrator declares that the story is about Charlie, and the movie is called CHARLIE and the Chocolate Factory. It turns out that Willy Wonka is the main focus and Charlie is just there to guide Wonka along his character arc. In fact, Charlie doesn't have any character flaws at all. I cannot recall what is flaw was in the book, but in the original Charlie and his Grandfather disobey Wonka and have the fizzy lifting drinks. It is Charlie's basic good nature that then redeems him for his misbehavior.
6. Danny Elfman, what happened man? Normally a fine composer, this score ranks as one of the worst I've heard in recent memory.
So, by now you're probably wondering, why did he give this movie a C+ instead of a D? Well, there were a few unexpected saving graces in the form of Johnny Depp and Freddie Highmore who plays Charlie. Charlie is the main character through the first 25 or so minutes of the film, but once we enter the chocolate factory Burton chooses to keep Charlie at an arm's length for some reason. Luckily, Highmore, who was great with Depp in Finding Neverland, is a good enough actor to keep us intrigued until he finds the golden ticket.
Once in the factor, Charlie virtually disappears beside Johnny Depp's much publicized creepy Michael Jackson imitation a.k.a. Willy Wonka. Aside from the high pitched voice and the pale face, there's really no Michael in this Wonka. Depp is famous for giving us memorable oddball characters and this one is no different. Is he creepy? Sure, but he's supposed to be. Wonka's weirdness is the only thing that kept me sane in the chocolate factory.
At the end of the day I was most dissatisfied because there was no magic. Every good kid's film needs to have something magical about it. I don't just mean that warm ooey gooey feeling inside from a happy ending, I mean that feeling you have after seeing movies like Beauty and the Beast or more recently, Finding Nemo. I realize that a live action children's film lives by different rules than animation, but that didn't stop movies like A Little Princess or even Willy Wonka from becoming classics.
If you have to see this movie, at least wait for it on DVD. There's no reason to go to the IMAX or your local neighborhood theater and empty your wallet for something as hollow as this.