Oompa-Loompa's should stage a revolution

Rating: 7/10 (17 December 2005)

As a world famous writer of Children's stories, Roald Dahl is also famous for the fact he doesn't like children. For this reason a story, such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is full of horrible children, who are of course tortured and punished in appropriate ways.
This may be why children love it so much.
This adaption of the book well and truly has the stamp of Tim Burton, same type of music, same sense of lighting and kooky characters. If you don't know the story, here it is. Willy Wonker, reclusive, genius, chocolate maker gives away tickets to 5 children to view his chocolate factory. This is a chocolate factory as it should be, an amazing land of chocolate rivers and weird machines.
But such a place also has dangers for the unwary.
Johnny Depp's performance make me wonder why they didn't just offer the role to Michael Jackson. That same feeling of loss of childhood and need for approval exists, along with the white skin, crazy clothes , inane smile and very high voice.
Charlie of course is bland, as is the nature of the character, while the other characters live up to the book.
Ultimately we get the Tim Burton movie experience, which, while I like Burton's movies, is failing to do too much on top of what he has done before.
Good, interesting, worth seeing. The musical numbers of some of the best in a children's movie in a long time simply because they are so obviously meant to be bad.
PS: surely the Oompa-loompas should be given control over the factory, it would only be fair.