very sweet indeed

Rating: 9/10 (22 January 2006)

Charlie and his family live in a dilapidated house, constantly having trouble making ends meet. His father has lost his job and his four grandparents are bed ridden. Charlie's idol is Willy Wonka, the most celebrated chocolate maker in the world. Charlie's Grandpa Joe use to work in Willy Wonka's factory, till Wonka closed it due to the mass theft of his secret recipes. No one has been in Willy Wonka's since he re-opened the factory, till now. Willy Wonka has hidden five golden tickets in five random bars. The five children who find these tickets are given the honor of being able to enter the factory and take the tour of this mysterious place. The five ticket winners; Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, Violet Beauregarde, Mike Teavee and Charlie Bucket.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a perfectly suited story for director Tim Burton. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a visually amazing take on the Roald Dahl story. There are so many layers and themes present; bonds of family, parents being run by their spoiled children, consumerism, greed, while the film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory had these themes to, Tim Burton has taken them from a more cynical view, making the satire more tongue in cheek and hits you harder. Willy Wonka isn't such an enigma any more, as we're given a back story to his past, with his over bearing dentist father, stopping Willy from eating chocolate. Also we are given origins to the Oompa Loompas.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is more of an update of the story than a remake. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory took more freedom with the story, while Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is more faithful to the Roald Dahl's book. The films Willy Wonka and Charlie while based on the same story, they are so different from one another, which separates them, as they both can stand on their own merits. The references sprayed around are perfectly done; the reference to 2001: A Space Odessy and Psycho are hilarious.
Tim Burton is such an excellent visual director. The colour pallet is such eye candy, making the film so bright stunning, juxtaposing those darker undertones of the story. Burton can take the visuals to a level where there is so much to take in, yet you aren't overloaded with them. The tunnel ride is a great psychedelic acid trip, as to the room containing the chocolate waterfall and river, and candy trees and plants. There are injections of that dark Gothic feel from Burton's Edward Scizzorhands, which works perfectly here. Johnny Depp is the most versatile actor and is perfect as Willy Wonka. He presents such a creepy Willy Wonka, making him more restrained than eccentric from Gene Wilder's interpretation. Freddie Highmore is such a talented kid, making Charlie sympathetic yet strong, there is such nobility in his performance. The four other child actors; Philip Wiegratz as Augustus Gloop, Julia Winter as Veruca Salt, AnnaSophia Robb as Violet Beauregarde and Jordan Fry as Mike Teavee all in habit there parts, really evoking the ignorance and overly spoiled child. Though his role is minor, Christopher Lee is great as Willy's cynical father.
With so much chocolate to induce hyperglycemia, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is one film to indulge your sweet tooth.