Flat and plastic, with no help from the modern special effects

Rating: 1/10 (17 July 2005)

I did not think a remake of this story should have been made, but when I heard that Johnny Depp was to play Wonka and that Tim Burton would direct I figured if any...these were the people who could pull it off. They simply did not. This film lacks all depth and emotion and all of the bright colors and sweet goo could not bring an honest smile to my face. Where as in both Dahl's fine story and the 1972 film every character had some depth and warmth about them, and I truly felt pulled into a magical space, not without difficulty and pain (as in all of Dahl's work), in this 2005 production I felt as if the editor may has well have shuffled the scenes at random. Watching this film I felt as if I were walking down a cereal isle at a grocery store....surrounded by colors and sounds to entice, but with each box full of promises and distraction....each scene in truth sits isolated from the next, and most all are filled with sugar, artificial colors and air.
All that I can hope is that anyone who cares to enjoy this fine story do so by picking up the book or watching the original film.