Equal in quality to the original

Rating: 7/10 (28 July 2005)

I saw this film at the drive ins, lots of fun, really enjoyed the film. I just saw the original film version a few weeks ago so I'm able to make a pretty close comparison and I think they are both about equal. I can see how someone who enjoyed the first version a whole lot would dislike this one because it is very different, but as someone who's always enjoyed it but never considered it one of my favorite films, I really liked seeing a new director and actors take a crack at this one. I like the results, definitely plan on seeing it again.
The production design is of course one of the most impressive parts of the film. Depp's acting is wonderful, the only aspect that bothered me was he borrowed some of his mannerisms from his Hunter Thompson impersonation in "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", like when he ate the candy and smacked his tongue around just like in that movie with the "adrenochrome". I really liked Depp though throughout, and I liked his interaction with Chris Lee, one of my favorite actors.
The only part I didn't really like as much as the first film was the oompah loompah songs. They were interesting, but not very original. One of them was really blatantly similar to the music of "Queen". Another one was very "Bollywood". Maybe they'll grow on me over time, but at this point I don't like them as much as just the simple song in the first version.
All in all, a worthy re-imagining of the children's classic. Burton's "Planet of the Apes" was a disaster, but this one is good. Not as good as "Big Fish", but it's good.