An in-Depp spin on Wonka

Rating: 7/10 (3 January 2006)

I just finished Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and was very impressed. Burton dazzles us with startling imagery and a perfect modern recreation of what we all envision the towering Wonka factory to be. Though Johnny Depp hasn't always impressed me, his quirkiness plays a vital role to bringing the ever-so disturbing character of Willy Wonka to our hearts. We see very quickly how much this movie differs from the original, in some distinct ways. Parts of the setting has been modernized, and is a very interesting mix between times and generations. Also, we see some background to Willy Wonka and explanations to why exactly he is the marvel he is. This movie for every sense was beautiful and stunning. Burton really hands us a treat with this one, and we should treasure it like a tiny morsel of creamy chocolate melting in the mouth. The reasons this movie is not a 9/10 or a 10/10 starts with the oompa loompas. While often funny and strange, the original orange and green oompa loompas served the setting much better. Everything is so colorful in the Wonka factory, why not the oompas? Also, they tried way to hard on the songs and just seem to come out over-the-top and not with the power held by the original's. Also, I would have liked to see Charlie's character have a larger role in the picture. They have reduced his role in the story to give Wonka a bit more depth, which in my opinion hurts the final 20 minutes of the story and impact that it is supposed to serve. Overall this a great movie though and I would recommend it to anybody. If you've never experienced Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, get ready for visuals the will spark your inner child and definitely an in-Depp spin on Willy Wonka and his amazing factory. 7/10