Charlie And The Chocolate Factory

Rating: 7/10 (28 July 2005)

Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, is based on the book of the same name by Roald Dahl, and was also previously a film in 1971 entitled Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory. The film is about Charlie Bucket, a poor boy who lives with his parents and grandparents in a rundown house. Charlie, is fascinated by the town's chocolate factory run by the mysterious Willy Wonka. Nobody has seen him for many years and nobody is ever seen coming or going from the factory and yet his chocolate and candy treats are available all over the world and are very popular. One day it is announced that Willy Wonka, is having a contest where he is putting a golden ticket into five different chocolate bars and the child who receives a golden ticket will get a tour of his factory and a special prize will be given at the end of the tour to one lucky child. Charlie hopes very much that he will get a golden ticket because it is his dream to go into the factory. One day he discovers a golden ticket and along with his grandfather Joe, go along with the five other kids also accompanied by an adult guardian. The first is Augustus Gloop, who is an overweight boy who never stops eating. The second is Violet Beauregarde, who is very competitive and always brags about herself. The third is the spoiled and bratty Veruca Salt, and the fourth is a mouthy boy obsessed with television named Mike Teavee. Willy Wonka, leads them all through his wondrous factory and along the way they discover how bizarre Willy Wonka is himself and of course something unexpected awaits the kids further along in the factory. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, has good direction, a good script, good performances from everybody involved, good original music, good cinematography, good film editing, good production design, good art direction, good set decoration, good costumes and makeup. As a child I read the book Charlie And The Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, and I loved it. Soon after I saw the 1971 movie Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory, which I also thought was great and have since seen it a couple of times and have always enjoyed seeing it again. This new version is a great looking film with great sets, art decoration, costumes and makeup and it is visually imaginative and has a lot of neat visual treats that director Tim Burton, is well known for. Besides looking great the film is well acted and despite what some people are saying about Johnny Depp's performance of Willy Wonka being too similar to Michael Jackson, I thought he did a good job. The film was also entertaining and a fun movie that both adults and kids will enjoy. I was however disappointed that a lot of things from the book were changed in this movie whereas I would have liked it to have stayed faithful to the book. I also thought the 1971 film was a lot better because it was more faithful and it was a very charming film. For a reason that will always puzzle me author Roald Dahl, did not like the 1971 film and has since passed on. I'd be curious to know what he would think of this version if he was still alive. This version is good too but I think I liked it more for it's visuals and sets then anything else and in a lot of ways it lacks the magical charm of the first film. I'am still recommending this film and I also recommend the original version and the book as well which is a great book for kids as well as any book by Roald Dahl.