Let's bring in the view of an Englander NOT obsessed with Michael Jackson....

Rating: 9/10 (30 July 2005)

Reading through some other reviews here I felt a dire need to write one of my own.
I went into an afternoon showing of this film with a group of friends whose ages ranged from 16 to 10, we were in a cinema packed to bursting with small children (think 5 or 6 years old) who had dragged along their parents. And the whole way through we were all laughing.
This wasn't a children's film that the parents had to suffer through, and it wasn't so childish that teenagers wanted to vomit. It was the classic tale we all know and love, only slightly modernised to reflect todays children.
I'll tackle the children first, while some remained completely faithful to their book roots (August Gloop, particularly) it was good to see that some had changed slightly to reflect how children are today (such as Mike Teevee who is obsessed with TV and violence, and Violet whose mother is constantly encouraging her to be competitive and a 'winner') These kinds of children are commonplace these days, we've all met at least one, and it helps the viewer to slide into the film with ease.
Johnny Depps' acting was inspired. It angers me to see so many people instantly seeing his performance as based on Michael Jackson when it quite plainly isn't. Perhaps the American medias obsession with Jackson in recent months is to blame for this. But what I saw when i first saw Depps' Wonka was a recluse, scared and uncertain of how to be around people. He needs prompt cards to introduce himself.
His detachment from the world makes him seem weird, quirky even, but it's good because the space he keeps between himself and others is the exact opposite of what Charlie teaches us, that we need our families, we need others in our lives, which is an important lesson for todays children who have become increasingly 'memememe'.
Burton has done another stunning job, visually. The colours of the chocolate factory are stunning, and you can feel that you've entered a world of imagination and left the, literally, grey outside world far behind.
As always Elfmans music is a joy, and reflects the quirkiness of Burtons' vision. The 'Welcome' song is hysterical and instantly you find that while you may know the story, you have no idea as to what's about to hit you. The Oompa-Loompas songs are, unfortunately, very hard to hear over the roar of the music which is a damn shame, but the dance moves alone will have you in hysterics.
It was refreshing to find things added into this film that we didn't see in Wilders' version or in the book. I particularly loved seeing how Wonka found the Oompa-Loompas.
While i was a little surprised to be shown flashbacks of Wonkas childhood throughout, i quickly accepted it, and found it interesting as it lead to another important message that todays' children should always remember, that sometimes parents stop you from doing things because they actually love you, not because they hate you, and that they just want what's best for you.
This film was a joy to sit through, i hung on every word, silently urging the characters on so i could see what was going to happen next, hear what was going to be said. I had to know, even though i already knew the ending.
This is the kind of film children should be watching today. This is what a summer movie should be. This is what happens when Burton/Depp/Elfman deliver.
Roll on Corpse Bride...