Why did they bother?

Rating: 5/10 (16 August 2006)

First, the original film in 1971 was so good, they didn't need to re-make it. If Hollywood can't develop any original ideas, they should just shut down. I mean, what next? A re-make of "Titanic"? This film is weird. It's best redeeming characteristic is it is more faithful to the novel than the original film. I mean, Charlie actually has a father in this one! The backstories given by Grandpa Joe in the beginning are good, in this sense.
However, the backstories given on Wonka's character are silly and just emphasize more emphatically the strange performance by Johnny Depp. He's one of my favorite actors, and perhaps one of the best of his generation, but this is not a good performance. It's odd, and it's not remotely engaging enough. It's cold, robotic and neurotic. Did Depp even read the book? Am I being too enamored of the old traditional story? In almost every way, this film falls short of the 1971 version: inferior acting, inferior music numbers, inferior plot. Watch it out of curiosity, but go rent the old version for a truly magical experience like the book offers.
NOW, if they could just make a film version of "Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator", that would be worth seeing ...