Want a golden ticket? Watch this movie.

Rating: 8/10 (16 July 2005)

Whether it was the nostalgia of incredible feats of imagination brought about by the original or the curiosity of witnessing Wonka's factory for the first time, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory offers sufficient amounts of creativity and humor to live up to the precedent set by the classic Willy Wonka film, and at the same time is charming enough to win the hearts of anyone witnessing its magic for the first time. Although words like "imagination" and "magic" may be concepts that will stray some moviegoers away, the sarcasm, wit, brutal honesty, and the ironic mocking of family movies makes "something for everyone" a valid statement. The hardest part for any remake is of course living up to the expectations of the classic and at the same time setting itself apart from the original. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory stays true to the original but surprisingly at the same time has so much more to offer.
And now the necessary recap for those who have no idea what all the hype is about. Willy Wonka (Johnny Depp, duh) is a recluse who hasn't seen the light of day for years, as shown in his pale complexion. Suddenly a contest is announced sending 5 golden tickets around the world granting access to his bizarre factory with only one contestant winning a lifetime supply of chocolate and a mysterious grand prize. Charlie (Freddie Highman, Finding Neverland) is a young boy with grand hopes but a tiny grotesque house where the soup of the day everyday is cabbage soup. His emotions are in a whirl as Golden Tickets quickly run out and his bedridden relatives debate more and more regarding the issue of finding a golden ticket.
All of this may be deja vu to some, but Tim Burton's vision, Johnny Depp's talent, and John August's memorable screenplay should not be overlooked. Besides the change in title, this really is a different movie. An obvious change from the original over thirty years later, is the advancements in special effects. The classic Wonka movie was an amazing display of innovation considering its time period. With our age of computer generated imagery, movies can either look breathtaking or they can look like crap. Tim Burton doesn't overuse the c.g.i. in this film thus preserving the film's beauty and focus on the characters.
Another good decision was using a live actor to play the oompa loompas rather than using more c.g.i. At first I was taken aback when there was an absence of orange midgets in overalls. However, the performances by Deep Roy as all the oompa loompas were actually some of the most entertaining parts of the movie. With the wide variety of musical styles provided by Danny Elfman, Roy was able to display his true versatility: ranging from Latin dance to hip hop to 60's acid rock. The movie even points out how random and choreographed those musical numbers seemed to be. And if the musical numbers don't meet your oompa loompa fix, the movie even provides a history behind how the oompa loompas came to be employed under Willy Wonka.
This leads to the next major characteristic of the film: the depth it went into the lives and personalities of each character. Everyone was perfectly casted and even the minor characters had more of a voice. The bedridden elders for example make the scenes at Charlie's home more enjoyable. In this film, Grandpa Joe isn't the only one with a voice. More detail was also put into the other kids, more personality and more depth into how they got their ticket and what they plan to do with their prize. Another noticeable difference is the presentation of Wonka from Johnny Depp compared to Gene Wilde. They both seem to be really eccentric individuals and both seem to show a lack of interest to the kids on the tour, but they also have their major differences.
Johnny Depp as always delivered a classic performance and a character that sets itself apart from other roles. Wonka was depicted as a merry Mister Rogers type who also has the bitterness of Dr. Evil yet the enthusiasm of Ed Wood. Wonka seemed to take pride in his work, but at the same time lacked confidence in himself and showed signs of insecurity, often bringing out index cards for everything he wants to say- a major transition from the aggressiveness of the original Wonka. This may be attributed to the history behind Wonka and his factory which is revealed more and more as the film progresses.
The film understands that they are taking on a project that is regarded as untouchable. Willy Wonka isn't the same, oompa loompas aren't orange and there is no bubbly soda that makes you float to the ceiling. This is because these are aspects of the original that are reserved for the original. Instead regard these as two separate movies. This is not a musical but instead an epic film that goes deep into the heart of the story and the characters, most importantly Willy Wonka himself.
This is another Burton and Depp collaboration that won't fail to please and to entertain and to wow the audiences. If you don't care about anything I said, just know that this is a memorable movie that won't be a waste of your precious time and money. With it you'll be purchasing hilarious moments and large quantities of creativity, the very substance that made us fall in love with the world of Wonka to begin with.