See Depp In "Michael Jackson"

Rating: 5/10 (11 July 2005)

Johnny Depp made a heck of a gamble to do a Keith Richards imitation in "Pirates of the Caribbean" and it paid off. In "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," he tries out Michael Jackson and it fails miserably. How amazing that in the original, Gene Wilder is what made the film succeed in spite of its f/x limitations, while here when the film succeeds it's in spite of Johnny Depp's off acting. Keep in mind, I'm a huge fan of Depp's, so his performance comes as a shock to me.
I also think the darkness Burton adds to the story is to the detriment of a child enjoying this material as much as they could. Furthermore, one of the key elements of the original was the beautiful connection between Charlie and his grandfather. Though they tried to make it happen again, it just didn't feel anywhere close to as rich.
I have no doubt this film will do well, but it's only because the original material is so good and they're smart enough to be faithful to it most of the time. I say "smart enough," because when they do stray, it's usually for something strange as opposed to better. That's often the case with any Burton movie -- he never quite understands the difference between weird being "new and exciting" and just "strange and uncomfortable." When Burton gets it right, it's always a pleasure, when he gets it wrong, you always wonder what might have been.
If there's one good thing that comes out of this film, it's that it may inspire children to seek out the far superior original. Gene Wilder can rest assured that the purple Wonka hat still belongs firmly nestled on his head.