Charlie and the Chocolate Factory review

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Anyone that knows we well, will tell you that I have weird view of Tim Burton. Whenever Mr. Burton deals with strange storylines like Beatlejuice or Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, he strikes gold. However, there are times when he’s off the mark, such as Batman Returns and Planet of the Apes. That’s when his vision takes over common sense. He gets caught up in style instead of plot.

This is not the case with Charlie. Somehow, Tim Burton has decided to go back to his roots and make a pretty good movie with a cute plot. The movie is a completely different take on the book, and is a different tone from the old movie of the 70’s. This new version has a Harry Potter feel to it. I actually like the young character of Charlie in this version. The basic elements of the old film are still in place, but Johnny Depp’s version of Willy Wonka is simply a sight to behold. I am truly a fan of Depp now more than ever. Wonka in this film is more standoffish and strange, in a good way.

Danny Elfman’s score is a delight to hear in the IMAX Theater (Which was packed BTW). Christopher Lee is just great as always. The sets have a weird twisted look to them that only Tim Burton can envision. I do recommend this movie.

Things to look for.

~ Oompa Loompas are upgraded in this film. I like these guys better than the creepy originals. The music they sing is cooler in this movie as well, flashy.

~Wonka has a great intro in this film with singing dolls, which I’m still laughing about. It kind of reminded me of the part with the singing robotic puppets in Sherk 1, except more twisted.

Grade B+