Scrumptious

Rating: 10/10 (22 January 2006)

Burton and Dahl are one of those natural matches which are destined to work - as he's proved before. It's not simply unfair to compare this to the Gene Wilder film, it's pointless, since it's making no attempt to be like it. Criticism of this film I think has largely been by those who've seen the other film but not read the book. Had there been no previous filming of it, this would have been immediately proclaimed as the masterpiece that it is. So for those of us who love the sharpness of Dahl's book but are less keen on Wilder's manic Wonka, this is a dream come true. As you'd expect from Burton, it's visually stunning and Willy and Charlie both have the look of the original line drawings from the book. The songs use Dahl's own lyrics - albeit in a marvelous variety of genres - and the script is great. Best of all, where the gentle moments might lean towards schmaltz, Burton's sinister touch keeps the saccharine at bay. Depp is a wonderful, paranoid, androgynous recluse - part Howard Hughes, part Edward scissorhands - and he's delightfully unpleasant to the vile, vile children. In short, this film is just like chocolate should be - bittersweet and dark, no artificial sweeteners and beautifully presented. Oh and beware of the squirrels.....