Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

I watched this film at Coral Ridge Mall on August 14, 2005 at 7:00pm.

Now, I have never been a huge fan of the Willy Wonka tale about Charlie coming to see him at his chocolate factory. The original Gene Wilder film was decent enough and he did a great job playing a quirky, bizarre fellow, but this type of film always reminds me a lot of The Wizard of Oz--a film with weird characters in colorful surroundings with an odd song here and there coupled by strange events and creatures, but nothing too terribly interesting other than generalized goofiness.

In this version of the classic children's book, Tim Burton's tale revolves more around Charlie (with Charlie in the film's title, too) than Willy Wonka, and really Charlie is the film's saving grace. Played by Freddie Highmore of Finding Neverland fame, Charlie Bucket is a poor lad in London who gets a Wonka chocolate bar once a year for his birthday. This year, the Wonka factory, shut down to outsiders since Willy Wonka had his recipes sold to competitors by his treasonous employees, is allowing 5 children to tour the factory for a once in a lifetime event. Charlie's most sincere wish is to find one of the golden tickets, and the beginning of the film takes us into Charlie's hopes and dreams on this mission to get an entry to this lofty, magical factory.

The later parts of the film simply can't compete with the well-grounded early scenes, mainly due to Johnny Depp's Wonka portrayal. He is creepy beyond imagining in a Michael Jackson lookalike caricature. Looking like Michael Jackson in a children's story isn't a crime, though, so it is more Depp's icy, stitled performance of Wonka that is the movie's undoing. I didn't feel the character was right to represent Wonka, while I believe Depp has faltered this year in several performances where he isn't striking a cord with me any longer (Finding Neverland, Tim Burton's Corpse Bride and this film).

All in all, the film isn't as good as the Gene Wilder version from 1971 called Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, and it rates a decent. If you really like Tim Burton's films, you might want to check it out for that alone, but otherwise it is easily one you would be better off waiting to see on DVD.

Please feel free to comment on this review or on the movie itself at the forum thread devoted to it at this location.