Witty and wildly entertaining

Rating: 6/10 (12 September 2005)

For Gene Wilder's version of the bizarre Willy Wonka, Johnny Depp takes a very great knock-out on the 70ties comedian. He outplays him on every level, from being pure funny to Mr. Mental, and you can totally see that Depp enjoys it all with great pleasure. So on, Tim Burton's visions go wild as usual when he adds grimy, Gothic undertones and fabulous pop-artistic moods - and in CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY this works perfect.
FINDING NEVERLAND'S brilliant boy Freddie Highmore adds sentimental sides and pure saint behavior into Charlie Bucket were Roald Dahl's original kiddo had a far more rebellious side of the boy. So, Highmore works brilliant in the character - and the four other kids who won the golden ticket are all for-filling, from the disgusting Augustus to the outrageous Violet, the cocky Veruca to the not-bothering Mike.
So, this imaginative movie goes over the top in its brilliant universe and is a fully on family-movie from the guy who gave us grimy tales as EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, SLEEPY HOLLOW and now CORPSE BRIDE. Without missing a step in his travel to family-movie, it's all so perfect lied out. Everything from the Willy Wonka chocolate factory's bicycle-messengers to the crow-castle that the Bucket's live in. The untamed clothes and the in-between of Goth, as the pink-dragon-boat that runs down a Hellish disco-tunnel (this time without Gene Wilder's hypnotizing and funny song).
You will find this movie amusing, it's just a thing that can't go wrong. It's way too bizarre to not be interested in, and way too sweet to not be emotionally moved by.