It's not a remake, it's a new adaptation!

Rating: 5/10 (17 July 2005)

A lot of people seem to be mistakenly considering this film a remake. It's not a remake. It's an adaptation of Roald Dahl's novel "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", which happens to be preceded by another (and different) adaptation from 1971 starring Gene Wilder. And, dare I say, it's a much better adaptation. Now, before the hardcore (Wilder's) "Willy Wonka" fans burn me at the stake, I will be the first to admit that obviously Tim Burton has the advantage of 30+ years of technological advancements in cinema to insure that he would, at the very least, be able to make a more visually appealing version. But let's face it, there is no film-maker in the history of cinema more naturally suited to tackle this project than Burton. The result is a beautifully, bizarrely stunning film that wreaks of Burton's fantasy/Gothic/Expressionistic style. Johnny Depp's Willy Wonka is powerfully subtle. He's eccentric, he's bizarre, he's even almost cruel... but only to those who deserve it. Depp gives depth to the character in that you can see he's a man with a good heart whom inadvertently has deep issues from which he is too far removed from reality to ever return. He's a man who never really grew up, yet ironically can't connect with today's youth. Burton also owes a lot of credit for the success of this film to Danny Elfman's music. He creates musical sequences for the scene-stealing Oompa Loompas that are just incredibly bizarre and catchy. If you are reluctant to give Burton's adaptation a chance, my advice is to give it a fair shot. Even if you don't agree that this is a superior version, I am confident you will nonetheless enjoy the experience.