This is more Butonesque than Dahl: Could contain spoilers.

Rating: Null/10 (4 August 2005)

This film manipulates the original story of Dahl in order to be used as a vehicle to revive Tim Burton's reputation as a director. In this respect this is less of a film adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but more of a Burtoneque film.
Here Burton depicts Grandpa Joe as more of an eccentric - doing his Irish jig when rejoicing in Charlie finding the Golden Ticket - than a slushy sweet Grandpa, as in the 1971 adaptation. As Charlie's mother,Bonham-Carter is poor at expressing herself as a careworn impoverished parent: she is here clearly a privileged middle class actor trying to play an impoverished careworn mother. This leaves her attempts at a careworn image relying heavily on the set design and the clothes Bonham- Carter wears.
The film set also relies on the depressing stark and drab image of the Bucket household, factory exterior, and cold winter scenes to bring out the vivid colours of the Wonka factory.
It is here in the Wonka factory that we find the grateful, if not merciful Oompa-loompas as the loyal work-force of the factory. The idea that these poor Ooompa-loompas should be merciful that they're employed at Wonka's factory is perhaps a typical view of a right - wing factory boss, and owner! What have the Ooompa-loompas to be merciful for? After all they are there because Wonka, a colonialist has stolen all the Oompa-loompas' natural resources, causing them to be reduced to eating mushy caterpillars, and living in trees. Then Wonka has the audacity to go to their country and think he is saving them through benevolence, in that he subsequently employs these poor people in the Wonka factory, where they are mercilessly exploited by Willy.
In this film we also note the changing nature of work, where education and specialist skills are important to the success of the profiteering factory owner, as in this case of Charlie's Dad having to become skilled in the maintenance of factory machinery to gain employment.
This is the stark reality that is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Just a word on Johnny Depp, who appears at times bored with playing the character of Wonka. It appears that he has had electrolysis in order to gain more than a mere clean shaved look for the role of Wonka, but I suspect it's merely the clever makeup that gives this illusion. Depp is an extremely intelligent, and very adept actor all the same. Oh, and a very beautiful man too!
Note the reference made in this film to Edward Scisorhands, when Wonka is holding a pair of scissors following his ribbon cutting ceremonial opening of the Wonka factory! It is not the holding of the scissors, but the way Wonka waves them about with his hand that makes the reference to Scissorhands.
This is an OK film to see.