Overall interesting, but not as good as the original

Rating: 7/10 (23 June 2007)

The first thing I must say is that I read this or was read this book when I was very small, so I can't recall the differences between the Musical and the book. Despite that, I could tell that there were a lot of places in the movie that went back to the original source material, just from what I remembered. I also think Tim had a huge impact on the changes from the original storyline, and anyone who knows his work will see it.
I did enjoy it, but could have done without his special addition, to be honest.
Johnny- I love Johnny. I'm a fan from way back in the teen idol days. I watched 21 Jump Street as consistently as my parents would allow (in other words, not regularly). And when he moved to movies, I made sure to watch as many as I could. I love how his career has grown, and how careful he is with the characters he chooses to play. They're always different, and he never plays the same guy twice. Even if it feels like the same role at first. I liked him in the movie.
But... when I first saw the original commercial for the movie, I was a little freaked out. And I couldn't figure out why he creeped me out for a long time. Until something made me compare him to Gary Oldman. His Willy Wonka reminds me of Zorg from the Fifth Element. Not that he was evil in that way, but in the horribly plasticky look they gave him. And I do understand they were trying to stylize him, but even so, it left me cold. And after seeing the movie, I also have to say that he just kind of floated through the part. He was good, he was believable, but he didn't always feel all there during some scenes, and I mean that in the not acting way, not in the "he's insane" way. As far as I'm concerned, he didn't claim Willy Wonka as well as Gene Wilder did in the Musical.
The kids- * Charlie was lovely. I think the kid they got to play him did an excellent job, though there were moments in the movie where Tim (or possibly Roald, I'm not sure if the scenes were straight from the book) got a bit too preachy about how good and wholesome Charlie was. Luckily, there weren't too many. * Agustus Gloop almost felt like he was a computer animated character before they ever got to the factory. But I was pleased that his mother got a bit more screen-time in this one. It wasn't just her shrieking about Augustus. * Varuca Salt was perfect. Evil and conniving and petty. * Violet had an interesting twist to her character: her mother was the one pushing her to be competitive. I also liked that she and Mike TV ended up with reversed parents. Instead of Violet's father going along, it was her mother, and instead of Mike's mother, it was his father. * Mike was the one I had the most trouble with, to be honest. Instead of being a simple TV junkie, which I agree doesn't happen so much any more, he was turned not only into a video-game-shooter kid, but he was also rather a genius when it came to technical stuff. Now, the technical stuff worked as far as his wanting to use the Wonka-vision, but I kind of wanted to see this violent streak, which they alluded to a few times in the movie, used in his punishment in some form. Well, now that I think on it, it was a bit, with the way the Oompa Loompas smack him around while they're singing, but it didn't seem enough, really.
Tim's addition- now, anyone who knows about Tim Burton knows one of his themes is fathers. Which is fine. But did he have to add it to this movie? It had themes enough of it's own. I wanted to see the bubble room--though the way the Charlie acted in this one, he'd probably be too perfect to try it. And my husband said he missed seeing the office and the signing of the contract. The father stuff worked okay, but I would have rather seen the original story, and not a story that was chopped in half and changed into a Tim Burton story... They just didn't feel like they were part of the overall story to me. But since I knew the story beforehand, that might just be me.
Other bits- I loved that the grandparents (grandpa Jo and grandma Josephine and grandpa George and grandma Georgina) all had extremely distinct personalities that came out on-screen. And particularly enjoyed Liz Smith (who played Letitia Cropley in the Vicar of Dibley series) as grandma Georgina. I loved the Disney-esquire entrance to the factory, which then proceeded to blow up and catch on fire.
I know this sounds like I hated it, but I really didn't. It was a lot of fun to watch, even if there were several wincable things. It's worth going, just be prepared, because it's definitely not the same.