More like a choking factory

Rating: 5/10 (3 August 2005)

It's been years since I've seen the original movie and yet still I remember enjoying it and of course the 'oompa loom-pa' song. The same cannot be said of this remake. I was intrigued upon hearing that this would be a darker Willy Wonka but Depp's performance here seems unusually off the mark. All the Michael Jackson-isms aside (intentional or not), the character seems never to be really understanding his own malevolence and so comes across as more innocently dangerous than dark and plotting! The songs in the movie are terrible and forgettable with the exception of the puppets' performance of "Willy Wonka" prior to everyone's entry into the factory on their tour. The cast do well enough with what's given but rather like "Attack of The Clones", it does seem that everyone got sick of looking at blue screen sets. Some nice kaleidoscopic set-pieces do little to offset the general feeling of boredom that comes on after the first 20-25 minutes or so of the movie, which are actually okay. In the end, I was happy to get my bum off the seat and walking again. If I am ever to watch a version of this movie again, I shall be opting for the older, brighter and altogether more enjoyable version!