Not Bad, But Definitely Overrated By Critics

Rating: 6/10 (19 July 2005)

Well, I can say with great certainty that Burton's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" won't be making my Top 3 (Tim Burton) list. MILDLY SPOILERISH...
A familiarity has set in, and I don't just mean in relation to this being a new take on the original novel, first made into a film with Gene Wilder in 1971. No, I'm speaking of Tim Burton's work, which has become so predictable, in style and technique, as to be borderline rote...the same might be said of Danny Elfman's work here. There are no surprises in construction or execution of the film, and though Depp conveys a degree of spontaneity, his character is so (to quote my friend who saw the film with me) "socially retarded" that it ends up making almost the entire enterprise feel awkward and stilted as well. My friend was looking forward to a "bizarre" performance from Depp, but she got a different kind of bizarre than she was looking for. If he'd scaled his body language and line deliveries back a tad, it would've made a huge difference. Consider how he played the eccentric, cross-dressing Ed Wood relatively straight, and you'll get where I'm coming from.
This is not a bad film, merely an OK one. It doesn't generate a bunch of unintentional humour (like "Fantastic Four"), but a surprising number of tag-lines fall flat. Willy Wonka relates to pretty much all the kids in a one-note fashion, shutting them down instantly the moment they begin to question his methods...it's pretty tough to sustain a film by having what is ostensibly the lead character perpetually avoiding everyone around him, socially. Visually, the film feels strangely sterile at times, due in no small part to the overabundance of rather flat CGI backgrounds...that's right, one of the few ways that this film differs from most other Burton efforts proves to be a negative as well. Also, the kids don't interact with the "real" backgrounds nearly enough, further heightening this feeling.
The scenes with the Buckets work just fine, and David Kelly is very good as Charlie's grandfather. Freddy Highmore is solid in playing what is essentially a blandly moralistic character. The set design on their house redefines dilapidated, but is really too much of a (again, predictable) wink to the audience to prove effective in conveying just how dirt poor this family is (apparently, in the book, you really feel it).
The introductions of the other kids are fitfully amusing (esp. Augustus Goop), but Burton certainly went out of his way in establishing the broadest caricatures imaginable. By the time they meet their imminent fates, you might be secretly wishing they'd just get it over with (particularly in regards to the annoying -- and not much else -- Mike TeaVee (sp?)). It should be noted, though, that the Squirrel Room in this version is a definite improvement over the Egg Room of the Wilder version...appropriately twisted, though way too drawn out from a logistical standpoint (Veruca's father has oodles of time to come to her rescue, if he'd only hop over a five-foot barrier).
The film focuses much less time than the Gene Wilder version on the pre-Chocolate Factory section, essentially meaning there's less in the way of cultural satire. It does seem to have a little more momentum than the latter, which, in retrospect, felt a little static at times. The Oompa Loompa songs are (mostly) lyrically derived from the book, and each of the four main ones draws from a different musical era...the choreography and editing is decent, the songs instantly forgettable (and may prove intolerable for some folks). Deep Roy (who plays all the Oompa Loompas) has a certain physical presence which plays off Depp's Wonka reasonably well.
You begin to think that the film is approaching its end too quickly, only to realize that an unneeded (though mildly amusing) sub-plot is being served, setting up a rather pat ending.
Anyways, I went into the film expecting a B, and came away with something in between a C+ and B-...so I'll say (just barely) 2 1/2 Stars-out-of-4. If you're "on the fence" about seeing this one, wait for the DVD.