Horribly disappointing

Rating: 2/10 (20 July 2005)

I was really excited about this movie considering that I grew up with the original and thought it was great, plus it had Johnny Depp in it (despite the fact that Tim Burton directed it and music was by Danny Elfman). However, from the opening scene where you see the chocolate being poured into molds and hear the creepy music (which doesn't fit the scene AT ALL), I knew it was going to be bad.
The character of Willy Wonka was pathetic. His character was so weak that it was ridiculous to watch. At least in the original, Gene Wilder's character was written to command the attention and seem strange-but-not-someone-to-mess-with. In the new one, Willy Wonka is an absent minded child with no presence (and what's with the make-up?!). This version of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory also revealed too much about Willy Wonka's past, making him a pathetic man, rather than a mysterious candy maker.
Further, all of the Oompa-loompa's being played by Deep Roy was disappointing and frankly, didn't make sense. The flashback scene to discovering the Oompa-loompas was completely unnecessary and added to the ridiculousness of the movie.
I thought that the characters of the 5 children were also poor. Their characters were more like caricatures and the dialogue so contrived that it made me sick.
I would still recommend watching this film if only to better appreciate the original.