Burton delivers once again

Rating: 9/10 (23 March 2007)

If you consider being made to sit in the school library and watch the 1971 adaptation of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory starring Gene Wilder a happy memory, this film is not for you. No, in making Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Tim Burton goes back to what he does best, making films for people who share his refined sense of individuality, and in so doing makes something that would not have author Roald Dahl turning his back on the film industry. The difference is in respect for the audience. Willy Wonka (henceforth, WWATCF) presumed that by selling only to the four year olds in the audience, it could make a quick buck. Yet those who rubbish CATCF want you to believe it is nothing but a cynical exercise in making cash. Can we say "hypocrisy", boys and girls? Anyway, Burton sets himself apart from other adapters of existing source material in the same manner he accomplished this on 1989's Batman. Namely, by taking the saccharine pump and not only reducing its output, but switching the damned thing off altogether.
Key to this approach of saccharine-free film-making is the cast. Much has already been said of Depp's performance as the famed chocolatier, so more on him anon. The real pleasant surprise here is in the support cast. Arguably the most pleasant surprise of all is David Kelly in the role of Grandpa Joe. Rather than adopt the "oldie knows best" routine that comes as a spit in the face to everyone on the same spectrum that Helena Bonham Carter is convinced Tim is on, Kelly portrays Grandpa Joe as a demure, helpful guardian who is simply there to keep Charlie out of harm's way. He is more akin to the real Doctor Who here than what those of us who grew up in the 1980s expect from a "children's story". And while her part is small, Helena Bonham Carter is no slouch in the acting department, either. Putting on the affect of a woman who lives in what appears to be a one-room house with six other people is no easy task for someone who is not really living it, so she deserves credit for playing the part so well.
But the biggest surprise in the film by far is Deep Roy as the entire Oompa Loompa tribe. Rather than simply present them as caricatures that are seemingly designed to induce nausea, Burton and Roy create the illusion that Wonka really found them in the heart of a great jungle and made a deal with them fairly typical of the time in which the novel was written. While they certainly all appear similar, there is a sense of individuality about them that the 1971 film could not have achieved had it hired the entire population of Australia as extras. But the real gem in Burton's film is one shared with Edward Scissorhands and Ed Wood. Namely, a former television poster boy by the name of Johnny Depp. Just as Depp's acting provides the heart and soul of either man named Ed, his acting here is what makes Willy Wonka seem three-dimensional. Forget the nauseating, vapid anthem about what the candyman can do, Depp makes it plainly obvious, as Dahl likely intended, that what the candyman cannot do is far more important.
Roald Dahl once said that the formula behind his success as a children's story author was conspiring with children against adults. Burton follows this formula like a roadmap, as the introduction of the four children Charlie embarks on the tour with makes clear. While the casual viewer will walk away thinking of the children as monsters, the clear message of the story is that these children would be very different indeed if their parents behaved differently. It is a story that, unfortunately, parents of the real world never quite seem to learn the lesson from as youngsters are sent to face the world with inadequate education, training, or even logic. If you really believe that Charlie is not an indictment upon parenting flaws taken to their logical extreme, then take note of how every child in the film is a replica to a disturbing degree of their parents. Just as Charlie mirrors his parents' patient, passive nature, his four companions on the tour mirror their parents' lack of will, hygiene, or intelligence. It is a terrible shame Roald Dahl did not live to see this film made, for I suspect he would have quite enjoyed seeing that someone in Hollywood finally "got it".
If I did have to state a complaint about the film, it would be that the story seems a little off the pace. Scenes designed to explain Willy Wonka's immense interest in the manufacture of sweet consumables slow the story to a crawl, in spite of masterful performances by Christopher Lee. Fortunately, they add up to a payoff with Depp and Lee portraying the reconciling father and son in the manner of two great professionals. The only other problem is that the mostly-CGI sets give the film an unreal, artificial sheen that, while preferable to the Play School style of sets seen in the 1971 film, gets a little hard on the eyes after a while. Not that I normally have a problem with CGI, but we all have our limits as to when a good thing becomes too much. The scene with Charlie's companions leaving the chocolate factory in various warped forms after suffering the consequences of their inability to respect Wonka's house rules is somewhat difficult to watch for this reason. It does not look fake, per se, it is just disturbing to look at, which I am not sure was the intention.
All in all, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory circa 2005 is a nine out of ten film. If you enjoy seeing people who talk to children as if they have an IQ to match their age getting slapped in the face, this film is for you.