a successful remake!

Rating: 9/10 (21 August 2005)

One of the better films to come out of the remake factory, Tim Burton's version of Roald Dahl's beloved book is an unqualified success.
Setting aside memories of the 1970s Gene Wilder Willy Wonka, here we have Johnny Depp with ghostly pallor, squeaky giggle - altogether a more creepy and weird prospect (and very like Michael Jackson, whether this was intentional or not).
Charlie Bucket - cute little Freddie Highmore - is so obsessed with Willy Wonka and his factory that he has built a replica in his house. he only gets one choccie bar a year but hopes to find the elusive Golden Ticket which will get him into the factory. The first four tickets are snapped up by stereotypical kiddie horrors - Angustus Gloop, who just eats and eats; Veruca Salt, a spoilt brat from Buckinghamshire; Violet Beauregarde, gum chewing, kick-boxing American champion; and Mike Teavee, obsessed with the flickering box in the corner of the room and his noisy Playstation.
Of course Charlie gets his ticket, too (it wouldn't be Charlie and the Chocolate Factory if he didn't) and off we go into an inventive trip around a magical, crazy place populated by numerous identical Oompa Loompas (lots of computer generated Deep Roys singing and dancing in formation). The fun as ever is seeing how the horrid kids get their just desserts during the trip.
Illustrious casting (James Fox, Helena Bonham-Carter, David Kelly, Liz Smith, Christopher Lee) and fabulous special effects (the Great Glass Elevator; the river of chocolate; the trained squirrels; the Oompa Loompas), together with Dahl's dark humour, make this a confection to be savoured.
May be a little scary for the smaller child, but this is a surprisingly good film. Wonka's character is a little more developed than in the earlier film, and although the ending has been tweaked in true American saccharine fashion, it works. It has the feel of a Christmas release rather than a summer blockbuster, but there's nothing wrong with that.
I especially loved the Oompa Loompas' different musical styles for the songs, from disco to heavy metal - inspired!