A near-perfect re-adaptation of Roald Dahl's original text

Rating: 7/10 (16 July 2005)

Tim Burton and Johnny Depp stress it enough, but I'm going to repeat it: "This movie is not a remake of the Gene Wilder version." This fact became increasingly evident as the movie progressed, and despite the fact that this movie is completely different from the flawed but wonderful Wilder version, it is close to perfection.
While I said that this movie is not a remake, it is virtually impossible not to compare it to the Wilder version. Special effects have progressed tremendously in the past few decades, and Burton takes advantage of the resources available to him. Burton has an amazing artistic vision, and there is a certain attention to detail that was not quite as present in the version of a few decades ago. Each child is developed almost to the point of absurdity. Even though Violet Beauregard is only in the film for less than 40 minutes, she has the unmistakable identity of the Atlanta child being raised to compete with everyone, and the mother is even better: carefully coiffed, former cheerleader, living through her child. I, as an Atlantan, may appreciate this stereotype more than most, but it is perfect. Augustus Gloop is knocked off even earlier, but his character develops a perfect identity. The Great Glass Elevator is perfect, and the inventing room is simply marvelous. The Oompa-Loompa songs are, if anything, even better than the ones in the older film, and the fact that the Oompa-Loompas are all played by the same person adds to the mystique.
An then there's Johnny. Johnny, Johnny, Johnny. After seeing Johnny Depp as Wonka, it is virtually impossible to picture anyone else (including Gene Wilder) in this role. The fact is, Wilder's interpretation bothered me a bit. Wonka is not supposed to be warm and fuzzy; he's supposed to be eccentric and conniving, and Depp plays this up to perfection. The way Depp plays the part, it is evident that Wonka has not had much contact with the outside world in his life. From consulting notecards to talk about certain parts of his factory to the shy speech inflections he uses, the little eccentricities are what make Depp's Wonka Depp's Wonka.
That said, there are flaws in this version, albeit very few. The chocolate room scene seemed somewhat awkward without Gene Wilder's singing in the background. However, the awkwardness was over in a few seconds, so no damage done. Also, ... actually, there really wasn't anything else.
All in all, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" is a near-perfect re-adaptation of Roald Dahl's original text. Tim Burton's artistic vision is unmatched, and Johnny Depp's interpretation of the eccentric chocolatier is dead-on. 7/10