A GREAT movie for kids and adults alike.

Rating: 9/10 (18 July 2005)

Who says that a movie can't be dark and still be for kids? Sure, the original may have sugar-coated things a bit more, but it was still just as dark and disturbing as this one was! And that's OK. Has anybody heard of the Brothers Grimm? They wrote fairy tales that were still ten times as dark as this movie, and they were for kids, and many of us read them when we were kids. Kids are savvier than we give them credit for, and honestly, I think that adults would be more put off by the disturbing imagery in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" than kids would. I saw this movie at a Friday afternoon matinée in a theater that was FULL of kids, and the reaction seemed pretty positive to me. (And as far as some of the "hidden" risqué jokes, I remember the same types of jokes in a lot of Disney movies from the late 80s and early 90s; it's a part of the kid's movie landscape now.) I thought it was an excellent movie, for adults or for kids. I also thought it had some touches that actually improved on the original; the set pieces were amazing, and there was more with the great glass elevator (like the book) than in the original movie, which I was pleased to see.
I thought I'd go into this being bored until they got to the factory because that was how I felt about the original, but even the opening scenes with the Bucket family, and Grandpa Bucket's flashbacks to his time working at the factory, are wonderfully entertaining. The unusual imagery starts there, with the gigantic factory "ten times as big as any other chocolate factory", and Charlie's weird, funhouse-like shack and eccentric but loving family. I was most impressed with David Kelly as Grandpa Bucket, whose performance was all child-like wonder, and Helena Bonham-Carter and Noah Taylor were also good as Charlie's parents; and Freddie Highmore, who played Charlie, ought to have a decent career in front of him.
Once they do get to the factory, though, things really take off. Johnny Depp puts in an excellent performance as Willy Wonka, not an impression of Gene Wilder AT ALL, but as usual, making the character his own. Without a doubt, he's the best thing about the movie, but the imagery is amazing too. It's exactly what you'd expect from a Tim Burton-made adaptation of the book; his trademark is all over everything, and the result is stunning. And the kids are great too, as are Deep Roy as every one of the Oompa Loompas, Missi Pyle as Violet's mother, David Kelly as Grandpa Bucket, and James Fox as Veruca Salt's father. From the start of the tour, the movie starts feeling like an acid trip, and the movie never lets go of that atmosphere. The result is amazing.
The only slow parts, I think, are those dealing with Wonka's childhood (although Christopher Lee is good as his father, I just thought they were a little boring and wanted to get back to the factory when they were on) and the Oompa Loompas' musical numbers, which I didn't think had the charm of those in the original (actually, I thought the musical number with the puppets at the beginning of the tour was the best one in the movie). The ending is also just a bit overlong, but the whole package is so good that the pluses definitely outweigh the minuses. You'll enjoy this movie, especially if you're already a fan of Tim Burton's work, but also, I think, if you're a fan of the original movie or the book; however, even kids who have never been exposed to any of this will be entertained. It's often hilarious, always a visual treat, and has something to offer for everybody.