Backwash from Burton

Rating: 5/10 (8 November 2005)

If Tim Burton so wanted to play Willy Wonka, he shouldn't have bothered to trot out tired, over-hamming Johnny Depp at all. He might just as well have played the candy mogul of Roald Dahl's classic books himself, if all he expected of Willy Wonka was a self-indulgent man-child with no joy or maturity of heart and soul.
This film does not contain, save in name alone, any semblance of the character Willy Wonka.
Again, Burton takes a brilliant cast, a great story, and amazing characters, and wallows in self-interest. Again we need the flashbacks? Again with a nasty, controlling dad in flashback?? AGAIN with the anti-family, spoiled-bratty attitude towards loved ones and community??? Now I think I've hit on why Tim didn't play Willy. No one could have told him apart from Veruca.
Otherwise, the film is a smash, with a Charlie Bucket to end all Charlie Buckets, Oompa Loompas whose songs are by far the sweetest morsels in this box of goodies. The splashy-number routine does, however, make the words hard to hear. Visually, the film is also well-designed, but sometimes poorly used. The backgrounds and scenery are so delightful, the costumes and lighting so appropriate, that it is surprising when some major-event scenes suffer from a lack of punch.
Here for apparently no reason is Helena Bonham Carter, who does nothing at all interesting as Charlie's mother. Charlie's father is played to better effect by Noah Tyler, a master of brief scenes whose quirky talents shall be vindicated by time.
A very sincere thanks to Deep Roy, who is a man of extreme talents.
A very sincere pooh-pooh to Tim Burton, for showing how stagnant the waters of his well have become.