Holy Buckets! A Magical Mystery Tour!

Rating: 9/10 (24 January 2014)

Tim Burton's imagination produces, once again, images that are mesmerizing.
Charlie & the Chocolate Factory is a multi-layered confection that serves simultaneously as an allegorical story for children and a pop culture cornucopia for adults.
The first part of the movie concerns Charlie Buckets, a poor boy who is rich in familial love. He is one of five children who find golden tickets in their Wonka chocolate bars, allowing them to tour the Wonka factory. The other four are poster children for Spoiled Brat Syndrome.
When the gates to the factory open to start the tour, it marks the second part of the film, much as Dorothy's entrance into Munchkinland. After that, the cultural references fly as fast as a glass elevator.
Mr. Wonka, as played by Johnny Depp, is part Mr. Rogers, part Carol Channing, with just a smidge of Church Lady. But it's the factory--and its processes--that are the star of the film.
Note the references to Shrek, Monty Python, Dr. Seuss, Busby Berkeley, Gulliver's Travels, Hair, Psycho, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Prince, The Beatles, Kiss, The Fly, The Beach Boys, and so much more. Much of it has a sixties-inspired Beatlesque style--an acid trip of psychedelic images. The actual story becomes secondary to the film's sensory stimulation. It's a visual and aural feast that is delightful. The special effects are seamless, the music inspired.