Imaginative, Charming, Creepy And Entertaining

Rating: 7/10 (21 June 2006)

Tim Burton's remake of the 1971 version of "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" is imaginative, sweet, sour and stylish all at the same time. The movie stays faithful to the original but still maintains it's own originality within itself. Burton just seems like the perfect director for this film. He has a fantasy imagination to make Roald Dahl's dark, humorous tale come alive. Since he's directed movies like "Beatlejuice," "Edward Scissorhands," and his animated "A Night Before Christmas." He has the talent to creep audiences out, while still make the characters colorful eccentrics. He blends creepiness with a subversive humor that is always alive with energy, and his visuals always astonish.
As the movie opens, our eyes are filled with snow covered houses and the main streets of a town with all of those old candy shops and small vintage stores. Freddie Highmore stars as Charlie who's family is poor and living in a house that has Burton's artistic vision all over it. The house is slanted on each side and looks like it could fall at any second. Charlie's family (The Buckets) are all charming eccentrics. David Kelly is wonderful as Grandpa Joe, he puts an charming, eccentric spin to the character that is very charming and sweet.
He explains to Charlie that he used to work for Wonka and he was fired when Wonka closed his factory gates "forever" because some of his employees were secretly stealing the secret recipes for all of the candies. He was no longer the original candy maker because the scam artists sold the recipes to all of the candy stores possible. After a while he re-opened his factory, but no human workers were allowed in and everyone wonders why no one comes in or out of the factory but the candy wrapped and sealed ready to be sold.
This movie is correctly titled because it's called "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and it is mostly about Charlie. I always wondered why the original was even called Willy Wonka because it was mostly about Charlie.
This version follows the same basic storyline of Wonka deciding to allow five children and one member of their family inside his factory that get the golden ticket that could be anywhere around the country on any five selected candy bars. The story gets followed on the news around the country on T.V. and radio.
There is the same concept of the five characters. Charlie is the humble sweet kid, the girl who is a perfectionist and a compulsive competitor, the fat boy who eats countless candy bars, the spoiled rotten little girl who is indulged by her father and a kid that plays too many video games. Some particular traits of the characters have been changed to match up with the present day and the contemporary choices; though little, separates the movie from the original.
When we see Depp as Wonka, he makes some strange choices on how to play him. He looks like a woman. His hair looks he borrowed a wig from a woman, and his tone of voice and the way he carries himself is like Michael Jackson. I think Depp made the right choices and maintains the quirkiness and mysteriousness of Wonka, although sometimes he sounds too much like a woman, but for the most part he has a certain creepy likability that disarms that.
The way the factory looks inside is breathtaking. The sets are expertly done and it's eye candy: literally. Burton's artistic touch is felt all around the factory, the colors, the lighting and a look that we could have in our dreams. The movie is wondrous in it's look and creepy when the children are punished for their wrong-doings in the factory. As in the original, the children are penalized for their own misbehavior in the factory and learn their lessons for what they're doing wrong in life. Of course, there are the Oompa Loompas who have their side of the story told and that answers who's been running the factory.
It is a joy to see that this movie isn't just a complete remake, shot scene for scene and taken word from word. The screenplay by John August is very well constructed. This time we see Wonka's side of the story. There are flashbacks that show his childhood and what drove him to be this candy-loving loner, which are effective, revealing that little Wonka had daddy issues, on the account of his father was in the dentist profession.
The movie is a delight to watch, it is entertaining, sweet, stylish, funny in spots and a little creepy because just like the original we get the suspicion that Wonka is planning all of this and knows something we don't. Is it too scary for kids? I don't think so. The tone is lightened nicely by Depp's quirky performance that disarms the creepy moments into light, mild humor. Unlike the original, this movie actually has scenes of the kids leaving the factory after they've been rejected and those scenes mock the characters in the style of lightweight mockery. "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" is a nice treat of a movie. Does it live up to the original? No, but this remake is like a sweet desert that you are eagerly anticipating right after dinner. IMDb: 7. Stars: 3. Grade: B