Burton and Depp win the Golden Ticket

Rating: 9/10 (19 July 2005)

Tim Burton and Johnny Depp do it again for me. A great director and actor duo the best since Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro. Johnny Depp knows how to bring a character to life, if you're looking for someone to play an eccentric character these days then get Johnny, Films such as Ed Wood, Pirates of the Caribbean, Sleepy Hollow and the recent The Libertine all show how much life Johnny puts in to his characters, he plays them Jack Nicholson style, over the top but definitely not pantomime. Tim Burton's visionary is better than ever after the dreadful Planet of the Apes he got back on form with Big Fish but that didn't show how visionary he can be, this is Tim Burton full on reminding me of the Beetle-Juice and Edward Scissorhands (another great Burton-Depp Collaboration) days.
This version definitely ain't no remake, Burton as definitely stayed loyal to the book, you can see this by just looking at the title, no shits that we call Hollywood producers have got their hands on this and changed it to 'Willy Wonka' and as for all the haters of the new version out there, Roald Dahl hated the original thats why he never gave them the rights to make Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, which no doubt probably would have been titled 'Willy Wonka's Great Glass Elevator'. So if Roald Dahl hated the original so much what does that tell you? so think on before saying a classic has been ruined because for me a classic much loved book was ruined by the Gene Wilder version. I will admit although the Gene Wilder version was a bit of a classic for me, especially the Ooompa Lumpas. I've got to hand it to Tim Burton and Johnny Depp they have won the golden ticket with this version, the script is great and the directing is beautiful, and the on screen chemistry between Johnny and Freddie is fantastic, as was it in Finding Neverland, you feel like they're father and son. Definitely a must see 9/10