"Violet... you're turning Violet!"

Rating: 7/10 (6 December 2005)

Tim Burton's personal style is all over Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, an updated version of Roald Dahl's book that inspired the 1970s Gene Wilder movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The dark undertones beneath a happy, bubbly exterior, the heart of the movie is about greed while we enjoy the candy. The essence of chocolate is what this movie is about. While we enjoy the junk food, there is nothing good for you in it, and there is something evil about it rots your teeth. Burton's knack for making what was once a light and fluffy piece of work a darker, more foreboding piece of art shapes the effectiveness of this movie. He did it in the Michael Keaton Batman movie, and here, he uses a Johnny Depp that is channeling Michael Jackson to bring a new Willy Wonka to life. The man who lives within his own chocolate factory is eerie enough, but one who reminds us of a once famous pop singer who lives in his own Wonderland takes the movie to another level. Unfortunately, the timing could not be worse for the movie, as the weirdness of Mr. Jackson kind of ruins the effect of Depp's decision to make Wonka a weird-loaner type character. Freddie Highmore plays Charlie who lives with his family in a small house where all of his grandparents live in one bed. His one grandfather used to work for Wonka, and when Charlie finds the last golden ticket and wins a trip to the chocolate factory, he takes Grandpa Joe (David Kelly) with him. It's Charlie and 4 other children, all of which fall to greed and excess. The fate of each child is truly frightening, and parents should be warned that their children could be scared. The factory itself is truly awesome. The set pieces are wonderful, great looking, and allow the Oompa Loompas (all played by Deep Roy, digitally reproduced to give the allusion of an Oompa Loompa army) to stage their productions with ease and glamor. The music used is catchy, not the Oompa Loompa song from Willy Wonka, but instead 5 different styles, from rock to jazz. My only complaint came in the scenes explaining Wonka's motivation. It involves scenes with his father (Christopher Lee, which had to have set a record for most blockbuster films starred in in one decade) and his anti-candy bias. The reason for this provides a momentary chuckle, but I don't think I needed to know what made Wonka tick. Overall, the movie looks great, but the execution of the story is brought down by Depp's decision to make Wonka a modern day Michael Jackson, in an age of Michael Jackson.