Sweet Success

Rating: 7/10 (6 December 2005)

As a lukewarm fan of the original Gene Wilder film and knowing Tim Burton's track record for films with great production but no substance, I went into this with low expectations but I was very pleasantly surprised of how enjoyable this was.
I loved a few of Burton's movies (Big Fish, Ed Wood), but he always seems to make great looking films and his problem was that he never let the audience get to know the characters. Here we get a nice background and glimpse into Wonka's upbringing and why he became such an eccentric. The rest of the film follows along with the book and the original film pretty closely sans much of the music.
Wonka invites 5 kids and a guest to get a tour of the magical factory via a golden ticket. Whichever of the kids is the least irritating wins the ultimate prize. The oompa loompas, chocolate waterfall, and everything you might recall from the book are there. Burton creates everything to his imagination and employs his usual staple Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka. Depp is pretty good in his role as he plays Wonka like a little kid.
The original film was the very first movie I ever saw in a theater and it scared the crap out of me. Hey, it was 1971 and I was 2. There is nothing scary in this film and the whole family should get a kick out of it. (***)