Just stick with the 1971 version

Rating: 5/10 (9 January 2006)

I feel sorry for any kid who has this forced upon him or her when a near perfect version of this book already exists on film. It's not that Burton's film is totally awful. It looks nice and is occasionally amusing. However, it has little or no reason to exist. If Johnny Depp had not been allowed by Burton to make some truly awful acting decisions, the film might have been more watchable. I'm a Depp supporter, but I'll loudly say that he gives the year's worst lead performance. The kids are all pretty good, but the only one who could stand next to her 1971 counterpart would be AnnaSophia Robb as Violet Beauregarde, the gum-chewing champion who turns into a giant blueberry. I also liked the woman who played her mom. The Oompa Loompa songs are crappy, and I really missed some of the other songs from the '71 version (most notably "I Want It Now", the original's best scene). One new sequence I did like was Willy Wonka's flashback to when he found the Oompa Loompas. Most of the rest of it is worthless.