Fascinating

Rating: 8/10 (12 March 2006)

As for someone whose memory of the book and original film are so far back as to be dust, I thoroughly enjoyed Tim Burton's creation. As a fan of his earlier work (Edward Scissorhands, Nightmare Before Christmas), I am not at all surprised at the production value and beauty of the movie. As most everyone already knows the premise, the brief outline is that rich hermit Willy Wonka decides to allow five children to visit him in his factory for one full day, with one child winning a special prize. To select the winners, he hides five golden tickets in five bars of chocolate which are sent out across the world. Each child that finds a golden ticket represents a different vice, from Violet to Augustus to Charlie, who is the only one that has a genuine heart. The acting is strong across the board, the Oompa Loompas delightful (all fx'd in multiple by Deep Roy), though the background story of Willy and his father make this otherwise children's film more adult.