"But that, my dear children, is called cannibalism which is in fact frowned upon in most societies. " - Willy Wonka

Rating: 8/10 (9 August 2005)

There's been a lot of buzz about the updated version of Roald Dahl's beloved novel 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'. Most critics have been raving about it, saying director Tim Burton (Edward Swissorhands, Ed Wood, Big Fish) and actor Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean, Cry Baby, Finding Neverland) make a wondrous team. Going in to see it I was extremely skeptical and I was kind of expecting not to enjoy the film. First of all, whenever Burton makes a film it's off the freakin' wall, and judging the previews of 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' I figured it would be strange to the point of just being annoying. The movie trailer made it look creepy and weird just for the sake of being out there, and I had a hard time believing Burton would want to remake such a classic film like 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory'. Another reason I had a hard time warming up to this film pre-screening was my feeling that Johnny Depp couldn't compare to the brilliance and style Gene Wilder put into Willy Wonka. Well, when I finally saw 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' I have to admit I loved it. It's an incredibly imaginative, carefully crafted and beautifully designed motion picture that's a pleasure to watch throughout.
The 2005 version of 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' follows the book more closely than the 1971 version with Gene Wilder. First of all, the updated Burton version isn't a musical (except for the musical numbers performed by the hilarious Oompa-Loompas.) It follows the poor, kind-hearted Charlie (Freddie Highmore - Finding Neverland) whose perfect in every way. He lives with his parents (Helena Bonham Carter, Noah Taylor) and his grandparents in a little rundown house. Every year for his birthday, Charlie gets a Wonka chocolate bar, and when the inventor of the chocolate Wonka himself (played expertly by Johnny Depp) decides to put five golden tickets in five of his candy bars all over the world, Charlie has to have one. After not getting it the first time or second time, Charlie finally gets a Wonka bar with one of the five coveted golden tickets with the help of his Grandpa Joe (David Kelly). With the golden ticket, Charlie gets an exclusive tour of Willy Wonka's factory along with four other golden ticket winners -- Violet Beauregarde (Annasophia Robb), a goal obsessed sports fanatic; Veruca Salt (Julia Winter), a spoiled rich girl who gets everything she wants; Mike Teavee (Jordan Fry), an aggressive and nasty video game fanatic whose also a genius; and Augustus Gloop (Philip Wiegratz) a morbidly obese greedy German boy whose obsessed with chocolate and in great need of the Atkins diet. Wonka despises all of these kids except for Charlie who will eventually cause Wonka to open his heart and re-introduce him to the concepts of love and family. The film also stars Deep Roy, a little Indian guy who plays all the Oompa Loompas, Missi Pyle, James Foxx, Adam Godrey, Franziska Troegner and Christopher Lee who plays Wonka's evil dentist father who's totally anti-candy.
'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' is great family fun as well as plenty of laughs and things to enjoy for the more mature crowd. Johnny Depp is fantastic as Wonka because he brings so much energy, style and sheer originality to the character. I refuse to speculate who makes a better Wonka, Depp or Wilder, because they both play him so differently. Freddie Highmore is perfectly cast as the sweet Charlie but he of course gets constantly out-shined by Depp's electrifying Wonka. David Kelly is great as Grandpa Joe, Helena Bonham Carter and Noah Taylor are good for the precious few screen time they have, the four kids are very good, but Deep Roy steals the show in my opinion with the funniest part -- the Oompa Loompas. Deep Roy's musical numbers throughout the film are definitely the highlight of the movie. Christopher Lee does a fine job with his small role as Depp's father, while Tim Burton gives his best direction since Edward Swissorhands. 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' posses Oscar worthy set, makeup, costumes and visual effects, while the script is very solid. I'd say one of the only things that bothered me about this besides it being extremely weird, is the hidden sexual references throughout. I felt it was very unnecessary and instead of laughing at them, I kind of rolled my eyes in disappointment. Everything else in the film however is brilliant.
I highly recommend seeing 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' in the theater if you are a fan of the novel, original film or just love extravagant and bizarre motion pictures. People expecting something very mainstream I think might be let down with Burton's take on the classic children's book, but I actually applauded the fact the film possessed bizarre qualities. For the best viewing experience, I recommend seeing it in IMAX in select AMC theaters. Grade: B+ (screened at AMC Deer Valley 30 (the IMAX experience), Phoenix, Arizona, 7/21/05)
my ratings guide - A+ (absolutley flawless); A (a masterpiece, near-perfect); A- (excellent); B+ (great); B (very good); B- (good); C+ (a mixed bag); C (average); C- (disappointing); D+ (bad); D (very bad); D- (absolutley horrendous); F (not one redeeming quality in this hunk of Hollywood feces).