Why was this movie remade?

Rating: 6/10 (31 August 2010)

To my way of thinking, if you're going to remake a movie, especially one where the original was already good and remains very enjoyable even until today, then the remake must or should justify the reason for its creation by improving on what came before. In the case of this movie there is little that improves on the original. In some instances there are even reductions.
Depp versus Wilder? Wilder was charming, funny and plausible. He was likable! Depp was simply weird and, perhaps insane. Unlikeable.
The kids were essentially the same as the original. Nevertheless, nothing was improved or enhanced.
The internals of the chocolate factory weren't an improvement at all. It was essentially the same only with a more modern approach with today's special effects. Nevertheless, there wasn't anything to put the viewer on his heels with wonder and awe.
There was an annoying reference made to Wonka putting people out of work and replacing them with technology. This struck a negative nerve with me - especially since that seemed to be the prime reason that Charlie and family were poor to start with. This was a downer and could have been avoided in the plot entirely. I don't recall that being an issue in the original.
The brilliant plot motive in the original for Wonka choosing a successor is missing here. In the original there is a tense point where Charlie, the last child remaining, demonstrates good will and honesty by handing the gobstopper back to Wonka rather than sell it for great monetary gain to the competitor. This is missing entirely in the remake. Essentially Charlie wins by being the last standing. What follows after this is lame and uncompelling. (I won't cite this here because I try to avoid spoilers if I can.) If there were little musical asides in the remake I certainly don't remember them. Why? Because they weren't memorable. But how many of you found the Oompah-Loompah song in the original instantly memorable and darkly funny? Overall: This remake is good for a viewing but you will probably come away unsatisfied. This version does not come close to dethroning the original. I have seen the original version numerous times and will watch it again. I will probably never the love or compelling desire to watch the remake again. Really, the only reason this was remade is to generate cash flow with a movie that already has a substantial fan base created by the original.