Visually stunning and brilliantly made

Rating: 4/10 (27 October 2005)

Oh, what fun it is to see a film that is so delightful in every possible way imaginable. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the new film by Tim Burton, starring Johnny Depp, is the most fun I've had at the cinema this year (so far).
I've been a fan of Tim Burton for quite some time now, and he is my favorite film director. I grew up on some of his films, and have seen the rest of them numerous times. With 'Charlie and the Chocolate Facotry', Tim Burton basically combines all of his styles into one film. On the one hand, it contains some really twisted (but ultimately funny) aspects: Willy Wonka's character is hysterically weird. The four other children that enter the factory, excluding Charlie, are completely twisted and vile. Visually, though, it is far more reminiscent to the colorful majesty of Big Fish. And thematically, it is reminiscent of the magical pureness of Edward Scissorhands, while still combining deep and meaningful themes like in Big Fish. Since it combines all of his styles, does this mean that Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is Tim Burton's best film? Nearly. I think that Big Fish is better  but only by a little bit.
Tim Burton's influence on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is one of the most prominent aspects of it. The sets are absolutely gorgeous. They are wild, twisted and extremely Burtonesque (Tim Burton is probably the only director alive who has an adjective named after him). From the lopsided set of the Buckets' house, which is very reminiscent of Edward Scissorhands' house, to the wacky, colorful, but twisted set of the Chocolate river room, which is reminiscent of set designs from The Nightmare Before Christmas in terms of color and style, Tim Burton's trademark visual style is at its full force in the film. The movie is so visually rich, that it's a treat just to look at it.
Another main attraction of the movie is Johnny Depp, who manages to completely steal the show. Depp has a history of portraying weird and quirky characters, especially in Burton's films (Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Ichabod Crane, etcetera), but Willy Wonka drives all of those into the ground in terms of weirdness. Depp has total control of his character, and portrays him brilliantly. Of course, this comes as no surprise  Depp is one of the most versatile and talented actors alive. Johnny Depp has played such a wide variety of characters; I'm convinced that he can play any character he wants. From the crazy, quirky pirate Jack Sparrow to the subtle, human pureness of J. M. Barrie, Johnny Depp is extremely versatile. While it's tempting to say this, Willy Wonka is not based on Michael Jackson. In fact, aside from the fact that they're both pale, I don't see the connection. As Johnny Depp said himself in interviews, Michael Jackson likes children, while Willy Wonka hates them and couldn't care less about them. He said that he based Willy Wonka on a combination of Howard Hughes, Captain Kangaroo, Mister Rogers and various game show hosts from the '60s. Of course, his performance is brilliant.
Another star of the film is Danny Elfman, who produces yet another absolutely brilliant musical score. The opening credits theme is sort of a combination of his Edward Scissorhands and Spider-Man scores, and is completely brilliant. It totally puts you in the mood of the film, and gives you this little taste of what's to come. But aside from doing the musical score, Danny Elfman also performed the Oompa Loompa songs  including the singing. He sang all of the Oompa Loompa voices, which were later all spliced together. The last time I remember Danny Elfman singing in a movie was in Nightmare Before Christmas  he sang the voice of Jack Skellington. It's good to see (I mean, hear) that he can still do the musical singing.
All in all, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a thoroughly entertaining, extremely funny and delightfully magical movie. It is visually stunning and brilliantly made, but it also includes a deep, meaningful message and great character development. Johnny Depp shines in his role, and the directing is top-notch. In my opinion, this film is about as close to perfection as movies get (but it is not perfect), and is the best movie of 2005 so far. Go see this with your parents, grandparents, cousins, movie-buff friends, nephews and nieces everyone can and will enjoy this film.