A Great Film With A False Title

Rating: 8/10 (31 July 2005)

A great production, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory provides entertainment throughout its running time.
The vibrancy, production assets, script and for some humour all combine to make a cast-iron blockbuster lacking any major faults. Burton's art direction benefits the film greatly as he creates a sense of disbelief in the audience as they examine the other-worldly design of the scenery that looks like it emanates from delirium. His artistic approach is seen none more clearly in the contrast between the ebony dusky dwelling of the Bucket household and the Wonka factory which looks like as if was previously used to make paint until it exploded. Depp's portrayal of Wonka is impressive as it demonstrates his ability to completely adapt to any kind of production whether it be drama or comedy and it also suggests the lengths he's willing to go to transform himself and make his role more tangible to his audience. Burton and Depp are the film's two biggest assets.
As aforementioned the film is devoid of any major faults but there are a few annoyances that need to be addressed. Most prominent is Burton's decision to focus upon Wonka and the vile parent and child couples rather then Charlie and the rest of the Bucket's. A common problem among Burton's movies (think Batman) in that he spends more time focusing on the oddities rather then characters with a hint of normality such as The Joker or in this instance, Wonka. However, the script demonstrates Charlie as a plain child (to the extent his averageness is even commented within the introductory 10 minutes.) As such, this film would be more suited with the title of it's 30 year old counterpart. The second gripe is the casting of Freddy Highmore who seems to be too sickly sweet to be the eponymous lead. Putting his family first, the role of Charlie does call for the desire to be morally upstanding but Highmore seems too honest and too much of a champion to be considered an 'average' child.
A film that offers much to a variety of different audiences, Charlie is easily the second most quality summer movie of 2005 behind Batman Begins.