A must for all true Ronald Dahl fans!

Rating: 9/10 (23 July 2005)

I went to see this movie with my husband and our children, along with some of their friends. Commenting on the fact that it was directed by Tim Burton, my husband had already stated that he was not going to like this movie, but was going for the sake of the kids. Unlike myself, he found nothing of entertainment value in "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and "Edward Scissorhands". We were pleasantly surprised. The movie is very true to the book and, having read the book MANY times, it was refreshing to see a director finally get it right. The songs by the Oompa Loompas were all taken from lyrics written by Ronald Dahl himself in the book, but set to tunes and dancing that provided amusement beyond what you would expect. Burton and Depp do an excellent job of portraying Wonka as what Dahl intended, a crazy chocolatier who faces his mortality and realizes that he must open his world to children, whom he obviously does not like, in order to ensure his legacy. Depp really deserves an Oscar nomination here . . . the nuances of his craziness are perfect. Freddy Hightower, who has already proved his acting chops in "Finding Neverland" seals his fate as the young actor to watch.
While this movie is highly recommended, I have two tiny, and I mean tiny, complaints. The first is what I consider to be the unnecessary addition of a back story to Wonka to explain the method or reason behind the madness. This wasn't contained in the book and, to me, felt either contrived because there must be some reason Wonka is the way is (can't he just be what he is without explanation) or, I suspect, to add a moral lesson to the movie, i.e. the importance of family. Not every movie has to teach a lesson, and that is why it is called entertainment, and I felt the back story to be unnecessary other than to give us yet another good performance by Christopher Lee, portraying Wonka's dad. The other complaint I have is the portrayal of Charlie's mom by Helen Bonham Carter. While I have no real complaint about her performance, i.e. its not bad, I didn't feel that she really added anything to the movie, which may not be her fault given that Mrs. Bucket is, at best, a very minor character in the film. However, having seen Ms. Bonham Carter's acting abilities at their best (check out "Lady Jane", "The Wings of the Dove" and "Howards' End"), it would sadden me to know that she has resigned herself, as she has most recently, to mainly appearing in her boyfriend's films.
Overall, I found this movie very entertaining and can't wait to see it again on DVD. Will there be a follow-up "Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator" Mr. Burton?