Depp and Burton give depth and excitement to Wonka

Rating: 9/10 (20 July 2005)

Goth kids and women everywhere united in one voice when it was announced that Johnny Depp was going to be playing the well known Willy Wonka in a movie directed by Tim Burton. Calendars were marked and people were ready to see the successful team of Depp and Burton redefine movies again. As the date of release grew near some people I talked to were getting nervous. Would Depp go too far? Is such a thing even possible? Still, I went out the first day of release ready to see what the verdict would be and if the expectations were set too high.
As the beginning credits roll we follow chocolate being made by sophisticated machines with Danny Elfman's music setting the pace. We meet Charlie first, a normal kid who's day ends with cabbage soup every night with no complaint, is played by Freddie Highmore, who stared with Depp in Finding Neverland in 2004. He does a wonderful job playing the sweet boy who makes the best of his family's low social status. The sets have Burton's hand on them, with the slight cartoonish feel to everything we see. This continues when we meet the other children who will follow Wonka on his factory tour- Augustus Gloop( Philip Wiegratz) with his rosy complexion and chocolate smeared face; Veruca Salt( Julia Winter) her blue eyes glittering like her mother's large ring under the attention of the cameras with her prize; Violet Beauregarde( Annasophia Robb) has the cool blond hair matching her white skin giving her this cool, unemotional attitude and Mike Teavee( Jordan Fry) with his eyes taking over most of his face as though he's watching everything but with a very unhealthy dose of skepticism. The children all did an amazing job personifying their bad traits and I was very happy to have more about Violet than in the 1971 version. Burton gave the children their moments to shine just as much as Charlie, which I thought was missing in the earlier version.
Depp as Wonka was perfect. He gave the character a little more depth, a man who made candy but didn't even like children. The flashbacks to Wonka's childhood made more of Wonka than a crazed candy maker giving him layers and ideals behind his love of candy. The children and Wonka seem to be at odds the moment they enter the factory but being as Wonka hasn't had human interaction in years, it isn't out of place. His sayings and quick wit responses to the children may not make as much sense to the younger viewers but parents will appreciate them. Wonka's sidekicks, the Oompa Loompas ( played wonderfully by Deep Roy) were the perfect compliment to Depp. The songs and dances, different from the 1971 version, all had a different theme and attitude which added to the difference between the children and their faults. These dances were without a doubt some of my favorite scenes in the whole movie.
In the end, you have to forget what you know about Willy Wonka and Charlie and the factory. Forget the happy-go-lucky Wilder character and indulge in a new and more faithful version of the story. The acting was all amazing, the sets were colorful and made you unsure of where to look next, as a trip to a real Wonka factory would have been like. Depp has created another memorable character along the lines of Jack Sparrow and with such a supporting cast, this movie makes a great treat for anyone.