Sickeningly sweet

Rating: 3/10 (16 September 2005)

Don't get me wrong, I was so excited when I initially saw the preview for this movie. I grew up on the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and what made me so pleased about this version was the fact that it looked so different and so original.
Not all of this film was bad, either. I did find the part with the squirrels incredibly funny, as well as Wonka's introduction to the children. I thought the children themselves were very strong performers as well, especially Philip Wiegratz as Augustus. The fact that their characters were a little more fleshed out was also a nice touch. Sadly, that's where the positives of the film end.
My first major problem was with Johnny Depp. I think Depp is a great actor, but his Willy Wonka was more reminiscent of a thirteen year old work experience kid than the eccentric candymaker who revolutionised chocolate. The way Charlie and Grandpa Joe regarded him in awe seemed completely unjustified, because it never was convincing that he created all the bizarre inventions that were depicted so well. I also found his backstory completely irrelevant and annoying. The Oompa Loompas were disappointing as well, with no charm or fascination. I couldn't understand anything they were singing, which is a shame because Dahl's little poems were very funny.
What irritated me so much was that Burton claimed that this version was so much closer to the book, when in fact it was completely corrupted. The original story about a group of unpleasant children being punished in horribly appropriate ways was completely pushed to one side to make room for a theme about family, which relied solely on a little backstory and a few minutes of resolution. The end result is a plot that distracts from the theme, and a theme that distracts from the plot. What makes this even more frustrating is the sugar coated message that is all but hammered into the audience's heads. I can remember being utterly terrified when I watched the original at six and having to hide behind the couch more than once. Yet, despite the dark nature of the movie, I loved it. Every time I put it in the VCR, I would feel a tingle of excitement that came from knowing that I would be scared out of my wits. Kids aren't as fragile as you might think and to give them just another happy message as this movie does accomplishes nothing. It's just like every other kid's movie made and as such will probably not appeal to them in any way. It also goes against the whole nature of Dahl's dark and horrible method of storytelling. I very much doubt this film will stand the test of time as the original does, purely because it fails to distinguish itself in any way.
Really, you're far better off watching the 1970s version. Just make sure that you have a couch you can hide behind.