Not bad, but unfortunately not as good as it could be.

Rating: 6/10 (18 December 2006)

Stars: Freddie Highmore, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Missi Pyle, Christopher Lee, Deep Roy.
I am a big fan of Tim Burton, so when I heard he was going to do a retelling of the book "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" I was excited. However this film is not as good as it could be. Johnny Depp, who usually gives perfect performances, gives a good performance, but goes over the top too often. As much as I found Depp's performance to be silly, I enjoyed Freddie Highmore's as Charlie. It's not a role that needed a particularly good actor, just one that seems likable, and Highmore pulled it off quite well. As for the movie itself, I felt that there is way too much building up to the Factory, and way too much time after the factory. The kids were only in the factory for less than half of the film, which defeated the purpose of it being called, "and the Chocolate Factory." Tim Burton has made worse, but he's also made much better.
My rating: B-. 115 mins. PG for some violence