Sweet without being sickly

Rating: 8/10 (11 September 2005)

As a huge fan of Roald Dahl, I loved this movie. I was moved to tears on a couple of occasions.
I had re-read the book a few days before seeing the movie and was pleased to see that for the most part, this movie was faithful to the book. A few additional creative touches were added, which I felt did not detract from the overall story, but gave fans of the book something additional to enjoy.
The acting was excellent, especially from the kids, who lived up to their characters superbly. The sets and colour were fantastic and a good Dahl interpretation from Tim Burton. Johnny Depp was suitably eccentric as Willy Wonka, altogether different from what I had imagined, but nonetheless enjoyable.
I did not like the original Gene Wilder movie as I felt it too far removed from the story and too Americanised.
One aspect that I found disappointing was the Oompa Loompa songs. The music drowned out Dahl's lyrics, so the lessons we were supposed to be learning from the obnoxious kids were somewhat lost in a mumble.
Possibly slightly long for the under 6's but perfect in my book. 8/10