Pleasantly surprised

Rating: 7/10 (16 July 2005)

Previews made me want to avoid this movie but, because I am a Johhny Depp fan, I had to see it and I'm glad I did. Visually captivating, as usual in Tim Burton's films, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory transports you. The cast, from Charlie's family to the other children, impresses you with each contributing to the overall feel of the film. My least favorite were the Oompa Loompas- more specifically- their songs. Thankfully, they are short (the songs, that is). Although the lyrics I was able to figure out were humorous, they were, all the same, hard to hear. Some scenes seemed a bit mature in their sensibility but younger children should still be captivated.
Taken out of context, previews of Depp made him look freakish but in the movie he portrays Wonka as much more human than in Gene Wilder's interpretation. Depp has a brilliant sense of timing and it shows. Depp succeeded far beyond even my expectations but still, the movie is wonderful due to a great ensemble cast.