Scrumdiddlyumptious!

Rating: 9/10 (18 July 2005)

I admit that I went to the theater with apprehension, having grown up with the Gene Wilder version of Roald Dahl's wonderful story, but I was soon transported into a fantastic film that exceeded almost every expectation. If you are a fan of the book (meaning that you have read the book more than once), you owe it to yourself to see this cinematic version. They say "don't judge a book by it's cover", well I say, don't judge a film by it's leading actor, or previous versions that you may have seen of the same story. Johnny Depp is no Gene Wilder, but then this is not Gene Wilder's film. Johnny Depp is Willy Wonka, and that is all that really matters.
There is a subtle sub-plot that was invented for the film which I found a little disturbing, but even with this addition the film was still very enjoyable. I'm not going to give anything away, but suffice it to say that the added material only goes to enforce the morality story that is the main thrust of the original book.
The last Tim Burton/Johnny Depp film that I saw was "Edward Scissorhands" and I must say that I was more than a little worried about Tim Burton's handling of this joyous material. Again, I was overly worried for no reason! The colors are bright, the characters are played to perfection by the young cast, and Johnny Depp gives a stellar performance as the mysterious, slightly screwy candy man.
"Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" was a great film for the 60's, but there were limitations to the technology of the day. For a technologically fantastic film that more closely follows the source (albeit with one glaring, disturbing plot addition), I would highly, and exuberantly (is that a word), recommend this film!