very disappointing

Rating: 3/10 (11 August 2005)

Well i went,with high expectations i may add,2 watch this alleged blockbuster recently and came out of the cinema 2 hours later totally baffled as to why this film is supposed to level off and even exceed the original of Roald Dahls classic.There was so many aspects of the film that made for some very painful viewing.
One of the first things that hit me was the constant interpretation,word for word,of the script used in the original film.For me that showed a distinct lack of imagination in order to try and expand on the old version and gave me the impression the whole film was,in some areas,lazy. I thought the acting was extremely corny,from practically all the cast members,for the duration of the picture.Beforehand i'd heard that the kid that played Charlie Bucket was a gifted young actor who played a terrific part.I however thought his efforts were shoddy and showed no signs of emotions or any excitement.Grandpa Joe's role as well was pathetically played and i found myself just getting more and more irritated by his presence as the film dragged on. Easily for me for one of the films worst moments,was when Veruca was being carried away to the rubbish chute by the squirrels and Wonka was calmly fumbling through his keys to open the tiny gate to enter the area.Veruca was just looking up and calmly shouting dad,dad oh dad.when u get a minute could u come over here and kindly pull these squirrels off me and stop them from throwing me down this deep hole.I must admit i couldn't stop laughing at that scene because it was just so BAD.That scene,for me,sums up the acting throughout the entire picture.I was expecting to warm to Johnny Depp playing the eccentric candy maker but i thought his role was at times bland and at times just plain weird.
Tim Burton decided to add in some new ideas in this updated version,that wasn't included in either the old movie or Roald Dahls novel,that gave some background into Wonkas childhood, and Grandpa Joes incite into his old employment by the candy maker,both of which was presented in a number of flashbacks. I felt that neither added anything to the film and just assisted into making the film drag on longer than was necessary.
Overall,this film will probably appeal to young children who are new to the tale of Willy Wonka who haven't seen the old version.But to anybody older that has learnt to appreciate the classic this will go down as one of the most overrated and disappointing sequels of the decade.