Another perfect world created by Tim Burton

Rating: 10/10 (20 August 2005)

I have to admit, I went into the movie thinking that Depp's interpretation of Wonka would irritate me to the point of being unable to enjoy the movie. That judgment was only based on the commercials, and the "Willie Wonka, Willie Wonka, he's a something something guy..." song that would play in the background.
The truth is, as usual, Depp was dead on. WAAAY over the top, as he does so well - so far over that it brings it back again. It can't really be explained - only experienced.
(And if you are planning to experience it, I recommend Imax. If you do it, do it right.)
The story is well-known, although I've never read the book, I'm told it is more true to the original story than the first. The ending was a slightly different take, and in my opinion, better. I was pleasantly surprised.
The movie was so good that I almost wished I had never seen the first one, so that the story would also be new to me. The sets are as good as you'd expect from the man who creates entire universes for his characters to inhabit. Costumes, casting - all perfect. I don't know what else Augustus Gloop is going to play, since he was obviously born for this role.
I'd like to see it again, to watch more closely Wonka's reaction to the kids. There was some subtlety in his expressions that bears a repeat view. It's possible I'm over-analyzing, but my experience has been that most of Depp's characters do have several levels, and it's worth finding them.
The only part of the movie I wasn't crazy about were the songs. The Oompa Loompah songs were OK, but not great. Confusing, more than anything, since I couldn't quite understand what they were saying. They seemed weird for the sake of weirdness, although one could say that about the whole movie. The rest of the weirdness just works better I suppose.
All in all, I'm glad I saw it. And I got the T-Shirt. :)