Charlie And The Chocolate Factory Movie
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Storyline
TAGLINES
Oompa-Loompas are crazy for Coco-Beans
The Factory Opens July 2005.
Willy Wonka Is semi-sweet and nuts
Charlie Is lucky to be there
Mike Thinks candy is a waste of time
Veruca Is a very bad nut
Violet Keeps her eyes on the prize
Augustus Is what he eats
Charlie Bucket comes from a poor family, and spends most of his time dreaming about the chocolate that he loves but usually can't afford. Things change when Willy Wonka, head of the very popular Wonka Chocolate empire, announces a contest in which five gold tickets have been hidden in chocolate bars and sent throughout the country. The kids who find the tickets will be taken on a tour of Wonka's chocolate factory and get a special glimpse of the wonders within. Charlie miraculously finds a ticket, along with four other children much naughtier than him. The tour of the factory will hold more than a few surprises for this bunch...
| Johnny Depp | Willy Wonka |
| Freddie Highmore | Charlie Bucket |
| David Patrick Kelly | Grandpa Joe |
| Helena Bonham Carter | Mrs. Bucket |
| Noah Taylor | Mr. Bucket |
| Missi Pyle | Mrs. Beauregarde |
| James Fox | Mr. Salt |
| Deep Roy | Oompa Loompa |
| Christopher Lee | Dr. Wonka |
| Adam Godley | Mr. Teavee |
| Franziska Troegner | Mrs. Gloop |
| AnnaSophia Robb | Violet Beauregarde |
| Julia Winter | Veruca Salt |
| Jordan Fry | Mike Teavee |
| Philip Wiegratz | Augustus Gloop |
| Tim Burton |
7.40 out of 10 (31254 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Despite what I thought about Johnny Depp in a wig, that was actually a cool movie!
posted on 28 Aug 2009Cute movie. I have to admit, I thought as I was entering the theater that I was in for another kiddie-movie let-down. But, I actually laughed out loud several times. And, wasn't that Christopher Lee, playing Dr. Wonka? Good gravy, he's in EVERYTHING!! I loved how the movie gave Willy Wonka a back story. How ironic is it that the son of a dentist is the biggest candy-maker worldwide? That was a good performance on the part of the kid playing Charlie--(a.k.a. Peter from Finding Neverland, another Depp flick!) No, it's probably not the best film I ever saw, but it was definitely something I enjoyed and would recommend!! And no, though Johnny Depp does not look like the sexy, rugged Captain Jack Sparrow that all the girls swoon over, this was a wicked awesome character. Go see it!!
throughly delighted
posted on 26 Aug 2009The only problem was that each subplot within the story seems very brief (each bratty kid's undoing and the unfolding of willy's past at the end of the movie, for example...) I wasn't to comment on the person who said they did not enjoy the songs. I think that ANYONE who is remotely concerned about the closeness of the story to the book will agree that the songs are much better in this movie. They are written BY Roald Dahl himself!!! The different styles of music make it funny and a little tongue in cheek. Here are these tribal, stone faced oompa loompas skipping around and doing disco moves. Delicious. This movie was totally in keeping with the dark humor that Mr. Dahl is famous for. Although the ending was extremely different, it showed even more than the first movie that Charlie is a boy with unshakable principles and a good heart. Also, Depp's portrayal of a super-creative, antisocial, childish sort of Willy Wonka is more what I would expect of a person who's locked himself away for so many years. All in all, I say WELL DONE! It was refreshing to see someone capture the author's intended tone.
The candy man can't
posted on 26 Aug 2009As a boy I read the book at least 100 times. When the movie came out in 1971 I was 9 years old. I did not make comparisons between the book and the movie and eventually the movie became the way I remembered the story. Such a classic is the movie that comparisons between this movie and the original are inevitable, and that forms the basis for my review.The first scene shows us the 5 golden tickets being placed on the candy bars. So already we are robbed of the surprise factor that the original has. The 5 tickets are placed on consecutive bars and apparently put into the same box...yet they end up all over the world. Also, we are told in a narration that Charlie will find one the tickets. Once again, the suspense aspect is lost in the remake.The finding of the golden tickets occurs far too quickly. The original succeed in allowing us to agonize with Charlie as the tickets are found one by one. The original also depicts a more realistic view of the lengths to which the world tried to find the tickets. Also, there was no time interval at all between the time that Charlie finds out that the fifth ticket was a fake and he finds the fifth ticket.The scene outside the factory lacks all the hoopla of the original. The fact that Wonka does not appear to the public in the remake is quite believable, but the "It's a small world" tribute to Wonka is not.Willy Wonka comes across as a cross between a sadistic game show host and a pedophile. The scene involving Veruca Salt getting attacked by squirrels is quite disturbing as Wonka pretends to find the correct key to allow Mr. Salt to rescue his daughter.The Oompa Loompa songs were the only thing I liked about the remake. Although the last song becomes tiresome with its endless imitations of famous musicians and groups.Charlie Bucket is very likable, but he does not get enough screen time in a movie which is supposed to be about him.Grandpa Joe is portrayed decently...but he cannot match the performance of Jack Albertson.Veruca Salt lacks the whininess of the original. She is not credible as someone who gets her own way by throwing tantrums.Mr. Salt comes across as one who is not controlled by his daughter, yet he caters to her every whim. This is a blatant contradiction.Augustus and Mrs. Gloop were fine.Mike Teevee claims to be some sort of genius who calculated the location of one of the tickets. Doesn't he know that this is a random event? And to call Wonka Vision a teleporter shows that he knows nothing about the conservation of mass. Then we again see the sadistic side of Wonka again as Teevee is repeatedly pummeled by Oompa Loompas and Rock-em Sock-em robots.All of the flashbacks to Wonka's childhood add very little to the story. In the original we learn right away that Wonka is a little bit kooky and we are left to wonder why. Explaining it all by saying his dad was a dentist and would not let him eat candy is ludicrous. And what a waste of talent with Christopher Lee as the dad.Lastly, I think Tim Burton's influence showed too heavily on this movie. Perhaps if I liked his work I would have a more favorable view. But as I said, the comparisons between this movie and the original are inevitable. The original is a great classic and the remake is destined to be a horrible flop. Thanks for reading.
Best film of 2005!!!
posted on 26 Aug 2009Johnny Depp and Tim Burton have made a magnificent film - I'm not a huge Tim Burton fan, but love JD and all the movies he has made!!! He is a snarky, baby faced manchild whose face was (I've read was modeled on Anna Wintour the Editor of Vogue and a real witch herself). He sounds like Michael Jackson meets the Church Lady with off-the-wall references to the 60s and 70s that will amuse parents and grandparents, but the best part is the kids - who are nasty, unlikeable, spoiled brats taken from Roald Dahl's book and brought up to date (never having read the book, I'm assuming some of the references are more 21st Century), and how he puts them down without being at all likable himself - making the movie even more sardonic and edgy. Freddie Highmore is a delight as he was in Neverland, but JD deserves an AC nom for his turn in this immensely savagely enjoyable black comedy. GO SEE IT - no matter your age - if you like pithy humor and political incorrectness you'll love this movie!! Kids will enjoy the messages and the fantastically imaginative OompaLoompa Land and the songs about these bratty kids who literally get their "just desserts".
Absolutely horrible
posted on 26 Aug 2009They should teach classes in film school with this version, and compare it to the original. Whereas the original had wit, charm, and every frame was infused with magic, this version is stale, cold, and boring. Burton is a genius at art direction, but he should never be allowed to direct again. He has no sense of human interaction, storyline, editing, pacing, or direction whatsoever. The perfect example is the scene where Charlie finds the Golden Ticket. In the original, it still brings a tear to my eye when little Charlie Bucket finds it. In this version, if you blink twice, you miss it, and it is rendered completely boring and besides the point. Avoid all ALL costs!
Massive disappointment.
posted on 24 Aug 2009About 30 minutes into the film the Oompa-Loompa's sing for the first time. Anyhope this film deserves to be mentioned in even the same breath to the 1971 original goes out of the window. One particular Oompa-Loompa sequence, just after Violet Beauregarde has been turned into a giant blueberry, is so bad it is actually probably the worst thing I have ever seen in a film that I have paid to see. But its not just the Oompa-Loompa's that will leave anyone with a genuine love for such a classic story cold.Depps fans won't like to admit it, but his performance is completely wrong. His pale skin, unclear motives and childish behaviour (giggling, for example) bring to mind a rather more famous man child of recent times. In fact, Depp would only have had to burst into 'Black Or White' and I would have been convinced this was Michael Jackson and the Chocolate Factory. Where is the slightly eccentric uncle with a secret past that Wilder played so perfectly in the original? Instead we are given an incredible inept attempt to explain Wonka's past which removes any sort of interest the viewer might have in the character by explaining away the myth (although Christopher Lee's turn as Wilbur Wonka is brilliant).The script on the whole is awful, falling on clichés and uninspired, dull dialogue and focusing too much on Wonka. This is meant to be a film about Charlie NOT Willy, hence the CHARLIE in the title (it's ironic that 1971's Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory manages to focus on Charlie more. Its also far to Americanised - if Charlie must be offered dollars at every opportunity, told to 'clean his pants' and we hear 'jerk' bandied around Willy nilly then set the film in America... don't create some strange hybrid Eng-America where your too lazy or stupid to localise the script properly.The acting (apart from the two mentioned earlier) is mostly unremarkable, though special mention must go to the kids who all manage to be terrible, especially Julia Winter whose acting is stilted and unconvincing. No wonder, as a whole, the children spend so little time on screen. Also why has Violet Beauregarde suddenly become a karate expert? I'm all for updating the ideas to fit in with the modern world (Mike Teevee's obsession switch from TV to Videogames is a good example of this) but don't do it at the expense of the story.Good points? There are some - the whole world is wonderfully realised, exciting and imaginative and some of the special effects are genuinely special and Burton's trademark direction is there helping to create a film that is, at least, a visual treat. In fact, its only because of him that the film has managed to score as high as a 3.Yes it REALLY is that bad.
This version is truer to the Dahl spirit, I think.
posted on 24 Aug 2009I have known and loved Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka since his movie first came out. The movie itself does have a trite and dated design to it, true, but Wilder's performance is worth the entire opening story (and sick-making songs) to his first brilliantly improvised entrance.With that said, Johnny Depp also gives an inspired performance here, one much closer to Dahl's world, I think. Wilder's performance had sweetness and heart, with a little wild eyed mania at which he is so superb. Depp's Wonka is an edgy misanthrope, with deep seated fears and wounds he cannot repress anymore. Depp's complete submersion into a character is always fascinating, and I would have to come to see this movie just for that.However, the design choices will also have me watching this movie for a long time. If it didn't have the handicap of being constantly compared to the first movie, I think this movie and especially Depp's performance would be much more highly appreciated by the critics.
50% Fail 50% Nail
posted on 22 Aug 2009I give this movie a 5 because I'm pretty split in my reaction. I think it nails the spirit of the book in just about half it's elements and fails in the other half. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was one of my very favorite books growing up, so no movie could ever do the story justice in my mind, but it is the kind of story that begs to become a film. I own the earlier film version, and think it's cute, but was never satisfied by it, not even close. I think this film comes closer to the character of the book, and visually it can be quite stunning. The greatest thing going for this film is the actor that plays Charlie. He is perfect! Actually, most of the actors are perfectly cast...but I was surprised by Depp's performance...it was by far the worst thing of the entire film! Gene Wilder's Wonka was much better. Where did Depp get this ridiculous interpretation?? If I completely forget that it's supposed to be Wonka, I could consider it amusing at times, but on the whole it is ridiculous and completely un-Dahlesque. I had actually thought the movie was going to suck EXCEPT for him--I love Depp's portrayals, usually. Not this time--this Wonka is petty and hateful. ("Da...daddy??"--ugh) Reminded me more of an Austin Powers Wonka than anything. I think Depp tried a little too hard to make this Wonka "different." I also could have done without the musical numbers, but I suppose they were too hard to pass up. As a side-comment, this film really brings the capitalist and colonialist subtexts of the book to the surface in a much more explicit way than the first version.
dull, clumsy remake
posted on 21 Aug 2009**1/2
Tim Burton, normally one of the most innovative and inspired of modern American filmmakers, comes a cropper with "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," a cold and crass adaptation of the beloved children's story by Roald Dahl. This is actually the second filming of the work, the first being the charming and delightful 1971 film renamed "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" to give Gene Wilder the title role.
In this remake, Johnny Depp takes on the part of the famed chocolate manufacturer who decides to open up his factory to the first five children who find a gold ticket in one of his bars. Charlie is the sweet-tempered young boy who is the fifth to do so, and, thus, gets to take the tour along with four other obnoxious brats who have none of the purity of spirit he does.
"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" fails to make us care about either the situation or the characters. Depp plays Wonka like a bizarre cross between Michael Jackson and Carol Burnett, and Burton, even with all his attention to detail in the sets and special effects, is unable to distract is from the fact that not a whole lot is really going on in the film. The early scenes, involving Charlie's eccentric relatives and their attempts to secure the ticket for him, have a warm, familial feel to them, but once the tour itself begins, we become as imprisoned in the claustrophobic setting as the characters themselves.
Locked in a tedious monotony, the plot essentially consists of Wonka, the children, and their respective parents moving from room to room where each of the four brats meets up with his or her well-deserved comeuppance in the form of a bizarre factory accident, until only sweet little Charlie is left. Interspersed throughout are a series of inane song-and-dance sequences a la Busby Berkeley and uninteresting and undramatic flashbacks to Wonka's deprived and unhappy childhood that are somehow supposed to explain why he has become the creepy character we find at the center of the story.
The art direction and set decoration are fine but not impressive enough to make us overlook the dullness and unpleasantness of so much of the film. Mr. Burton may need to go back to making the kind of small, quirky films that he cut his directorial teeth on and leave these empty, bloated big screen extravaganzas to others.
This remake of the original 1971 film has updated special effects and terrific production designs but still isn't as magical or entertaining as the original film.
posted on 20 Aug 2009Charlie Bucket (Freddie Highmore) comes from an poor family. He lives with his hard working father (Noah Taylor), his homemaker mother (Helena Bonham Carter), his loving Grandpa Joe (David Kelly) and three other grandparents (Liz Smith, Eileen Essell and David Morris). They struggle with everyday life and their home is falling apart, bit by bit. Charlie hopes for a better life for him and his family. But one day, Charlie hears that there's upcoming contest about very successful Chocolate Factory. Who's owned by Willy Wonka (Johnny Deep), who's giving five golden tickets inside Chocolate Bars that he hidden inside all through the world. Since it's been found by four other kids by Veruca Salt (Julia Winter), who's a spoiled brat. Augustas Gloop (Philip Wiegratz), an overweight kid... who truly loves Chocolate. Violet Beuragrade (AnnaSophia Robb), an ambitious champion gum chewer. Mike Teevee (Jordan Fry), who's loves watching TV too much and playing Videogames. After Charlie buys a few chocolate bars before with no luck but when he finds 10 dollars outside. He decides to try one last time at a store and he has find the last chocolate bar with the golden ticket. Charlie can't go alone in the Chocolate Factory and he has to bring an adult with him. He brings his Grandpa Joe, who's used to work for Wonka in the past. Once Charlie and his Grandpa Joe enter the Chocolate Factory with the other winners. They finally get to meet the mysterious and bizarre Willa Wonka. Once they enter the chocolate factory, they see strange things and they encounter working & singing Oompa Loompas. But Willy isn't what he seems to be and he's having flashbacks to the his troubled childhood with his stricter father (Christopher Lee). Willy holds an special surprise for the winner, for those who don't get distract by the factory.Directed by Tim Burton (Batman, Ed Wood, Planet of the Apes "2001") made an entertaining updated version of the classic 1971 film, which the original film was titled "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" for some reason. Which is Based on a novel by Roald Dahl (James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, The Witches). Highmore's performance in the film is the heart of this picture, Deep's role seems to do an creepy imitation of Controvesial Pop-Star:Michael Jackson at times but it's Deep Roy's role (Who plays all the Oompa Loompas) steals the show with amazing music score by Danny Elfman (Men in Black, Nacho Libre, Sleepy Hallow). Beautiful production designs by Alex McDowell (The Crow, Fight Club, Minority Report) are also the highlights of this movie as well.DVD has an sharp Pan & Scan (1.33:1) transfer and an strong Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. DVD has an featurette about Roy's role and creating Oompa Loompas for the film, an Oompa Loompas dance machine featurette and the original theatrical trailer. The first act of the film works great until we enter "The Chocolate Factory". The film turns mean-spirited, odd, bizarre and dumb all at once. Highmore keeps the film together, however and it is certainly Burton's strangest Mainstream film since "Batman Returns". It is also the least successful Burton film (to me anyway) so far. Deep's role isn't as memorable as we expect and he doesn't come close to surpass Gene Wilder's role in the film. But Kids will love it, so do fans of Burton's work and Deep's roles as well. Screenplay by Johm August (Charlie's Angels, Go, Titan A.E.). (*** ½/*****).
BURTON DOES IT AGAIN
posted on 19 Aug 2009This is the movie based on the original book. Charlie and the choclate factory is about a little boy named charlie who finds one of the 5 golden tickets in a bar of choclate and goes to the legendary Choclate factory run by Willy Wonka. Excluding the oompa loompa songs this movie is one of my favorites. This is nothing like the original movie staring Gene Wilder. Willy Wonka is played by Johnny Depp. I loved JD in this movie. I loved him in this movie alot (Even though he kinda reminds me of Michael Jackson abit). Even so this is a really good family movie and is slowly becoming one of my favorite movies. Don't rent it. Buy It.
Burton is his own worst enemy
posted on 18 Aug 2009Numerous people, including Roald Dahl himself, felt that his highly regarded children's classic, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, was poorly treated in its first filmic interpretation. Mel Stuart's 1971 film (which went as far as being named after Willy Wonka) was indeed flawed and sometimes cringeworthy, yet it has numerous original and endearing moments that leave a lasting impression. Enough, in fact, to make it a cult classic.But that hasn't stopped the detractors complaining. So with so many remakes around these days, why not at least try and put things right? And who better to do so than Tim Burton, that strange and interesting director who has given us a handful of mini classics in the past? He understands Roald Dahl better than anyone else, or so it seems.Now, for the few of you who don't know, the story revolves around the enormous chocolate factory of the reclusive Willy Wonka (Johnny Depp). No one has seen him for years, and he has suddenly decided to invite five children - just five, and no more - to accompany him on a tour of the factory itself. Charlie Bucket (Freddie Highmore), despite his poor conditions, never stops hoping that he will be one of those five. But even he cannot imagine what surprises lie in store for him.Like The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy before it, everything seems set up for a wonderful modern film adaptation. There's so much acting talent (Johnny Depp, relative newcomer Freddie Highmore, Helena Bonham-Carter, Edward Fox, Noah Taylor, Christopher Lee), so much wonderful production design (courtesy of Alex McDowell, who did an equally impressive job for Minority Report) and numerous brilliant moments. And yet...and yet...it all feels so rehearsed. There's a lack of spontaneity, there's little feeling. As Shakespeare would put it, it's "all sound and fury, signifying nothing." Let me make it clear that I love the book. As a result, one of the things I personally found dissatisfying about Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was its tendency to leave out many of the book's classic early moments. Burton and screenwriter John August overcome this flaw by ignoring the earlier film and successfully re-imagining some of the best scenes in the book in their own right. Unfortunately, these scenes are all too literally replicated, so while fans of the book will be happy to see them, they lack inspiration and leave little to the imagination. Which, it should be said, was one of the key themes of the original story.I could also argue that the pre-chocolate factory section of the film is rather rushed. This is more costly than you'd expect, and it leaves us with a poorly written leading protagonist. Freddie Highmore does his best with Charlie, but there is little in the film that suggests he will become the truly deserving winner of the prize that Wonka has in store for his favourite child.The arrival of Johnny Depp enlivens things immensely. Twenty minutes inside the factory with this guy, and I thought "He makes Gene Wilder look sane." Unfortunately, Depp's fantastic performance is hampered by Burton's interference, in the form of childhood flashbacks for Wonka. These may be innovative, but they are distracting and forced. It's as if Burton felt he had to justified to give Wonka a personality, when really he should have let Depp do most of the work. (Pretty much in the same way Gore Verbinski did in Pirates Of The Caribbean.) Roald Dahl managed to find the correct balance of pathos and irreverence in Wonka; neither Mel Stuart nor Tim Burton have been able to do so. It's a shame.Of course, those who have come along just to see their favourite book faithfully and stylishly recreated, with a few twists here and there (and these include the way Burton has staged the Oompa Loompas' songs) won't be disappointed. It even appears, at one point, that he has given the film a remarkable ending; unfortunately, the film ends up closing with a poorly handled, overly moralistic sermon on "family values", that is jarring in the context of the film.So there you have it. For all that Tim Burton does right with this film, he misses an opportunity. And thus we have another "Hitchhiker's Guide" - enjoyable, but could and should have been much, much more.Rating: 6/10
Another beautiful film by Depp and Burton
posted on 16 Aug 2009As I am a great fan of Johnny Depp and my favorite Director is Tim Burton(When I first witnessed his work on Edward Scissorhands)I had to see this film! I noticed it was much more detailed than the first...showing more extensive detail in the Bucket's lifestyle and home I began to think they were never going to get to the Factory! I did enjoy how once they got to the factory the Oompa Loopma's songs changed unlike the same dull tune you get stuck in your head for weeks from the first one! I liked how they showed what the children did once they got out(IE: Veruca covered in garbage..)Then how they showed Wonka's past during the factory tour.(I had felt so bad when I saw he was deprived of chocolate and had to wear that awful headgear!) Then how once they got out Wonka was outside of the Factory..I didn't like how the first was so based on the Factory itself Thus I give this movie 8.9/10 (It kind of broke my heart learning there was only ONE Oompa Loompa)
Ever been on a tour that went too fast?
posted on 14 Aug 2009That's what Charlie and the Chocolate Factory felt like to me. In the end I was left wondering where all the time went. I mean, the movie itself was long enough, so why did everything seem so rushed? In a flash the children had the tickets and were standing at the gates, and my girlfriend pointed out that everyone already knew this part of the story and maybe they wanted to focus on the factory. But even then, the factory never really got too much focus. The 71 movie had deeper character development of the children (I mean, with the exception of Mike Teevee, these kids weren't nearly as bad as the other ones) and the search for the golden tickets (the computer that refuses to reveal where the golden ticket is), as well as an insane amount of not always good musical numbers, and yet this movie was longer and had none of that. And what with the way Burton does visuals and the quick arrival to the factory, I thought for sure there would be tons more of the cool candy quirks from the book. And I'm not sure if there was a problem in the editing or what, but scenes that could have been more in depth by just having the scene run a few seconds longer were done so quickly that it was hard for me to sympathize or associate with the characters.I've read the book and I've seen the 71 movie, and I understand that Dahl didn't care for Wilder's portrayal of Wonka, and that he disliked Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and that's OK. A lot of authors are disappointed by films adapted from their books, it happens, despite the fact that the film might be enjoyable but not true to the storyline. And while Burton's film is slightly truer than the 71, it still veers off on its own subplots that are not included in the book. I wouldn't have minded so much if it wasn't for the fact that every fifteen minutes the continuity of the film was interrupted by incredibly cheesy flashbacks. Couldn't they have come up with some other way to incorporate a back story for the chocolate genius? What was more unsettling than the flashbacks were the unnecessary narrations that did not contribute to the story.The visuals were great, of course, and this is an era where the chocolate factory's elements, including the Great Glass Elevator, could be brought to life the way they deserved to be done. However, the gizmos and gadgets in this film were not, in my opinion, as creative and wild as the 71 movie, and seemed more coldly efficient.I did love the parts of this film that did represent the book, the stories Grandpa Jo tells, the acquiring of the Oompa Loompas, and even the boat looks right finally. Also I love that we do get to see the end result of the children. Depp's Wonka was OK, he's done better in roles. He was hilarious, but he seemed a lot less excited than the Wonka in the book. Too childish. Wilder's Wonka was great, but he wasn't like the book Wonka either. No one's got that right yet.This movie wasn't bad, it was pretty good, but I think the point is that it could have been a little better if the script had slowed down a little and developed each scene, instead of having to rely on several flashbacks. Not bad, but not great. So is life.
Not as expected..at all. Half as good as the original movie!
posted on 08 Aug 2009I have been a long time supporter of Tim Burton and have loved his movies in the past, but I have to say that I am terribly disappointed with this one. He uses many aspects of the original film without making the new re-make his own. The Oompa Loompas are terrible as digitally reproduced characters with annoying taste in clothing and music. The songs are painfully awful. Danny Elfman was definitely not doing his best here. Johnny Depp is a great actor but he does not shine in this role. The dentures, bad make-up, 60's haircut and juvenile attitude are quite repulsive. The child actors are about half as talented as the original cast. Changing their appearances and adding tons of make-up or digital polishing was just a bad idea. They look like wax dolls. The Grandpa character is totally not as well done in this version. His hero-like portrayal in the earlier version somewhat made the movie. Teaching Charlie as they moved throughout the factory. The new Grandpa looks as though he'll kill over at any moment..and he has no personality other than being an old man with silly glasses. The Charlie character was the most refreshing face in the whole movie. I have to agree that this was about the best decision Burton made in Casting. Burton needs to let go of the absent father hang-ups...it is getting quite pathetic. My favorite part was the beginning where the flames engulf the singing puppets..YAAYY. Very well done. Creepiness all the way..but then..it disappeared. Where did the ultra creepy Burton run away to? Off finishing the movie he really wanted to create.. "A Corpse Bride"?
Harken back to the days of Beetlejuice
posted on 08 Aug 2009Well now you see that Johnny Depp wont just stagger around looking interestingly attractive to the female audiences. He actually doesn't seem to care for some of his own self-created image of the melancholy yet charismatic goof-ball. Instead he decides (or it was decided) that he could play a role similar to Michael Keaton in Beetlejuice ---by that I mean slightly annoying and uncomfortable--- lets not forget some of the common elements of Burton films--- when he is making one for the fans and when he is making one for himself--- i think that this falls in the latter category.Did i find that this movie was good? Well his modern adaption and the depiction of characters went fairly well but in general it didn't jive all the way with a sense of charm or original material--- most of it was the set/props and the look--- the interactions of the characters was fairly diluted and --- yes there was some good flashback scenes of W. Wonka that I felt J. Depp excelled in--- overall not the best--- somehow it just didn't come together.
A Good Effort!
posted on 08 Aug 2009The film was a good effort. Johnny Deep gave a decent performance, Charlie also. Very good shots and settings. The parts they changed ruined the film and that is why a 7 is the best they can have. No outstanding acting. But the magical feeling and the mood and genres created were hit right on target and some feeling was expressed. Some good one liners as well. And fantastic Liz Smith was amusing. A good winters film, a good family movie. I am harsh with marks, but from me a 7 does. So a good effort. And recommended. But for me, the key part missing was that special bond between Wonka and Charlie. I remember the two having a really sweet kind of bond in the first one, this was nowhere to be seen in this one.So to improve they could have- Used more character relations between Wonka and Charlie, stuck to the original plot and get some more funny and embarrassing moment of that kid/child vulgar humour over. Family fun and humour.
Impressive
posted on 07 Aug 2009I'm not a Tim Burton fan but I am a fan to this story. As a child I both read and watched the movie versions although I only had a vague recollection of them going into this film. An excellent group of actors both adult and child wise. The set was colourful and very techno for the time period and the ompaas were hilarious although they might be scary for small children. Depp was an eccentric and somewhat egocentric Wonka but delightful to just look at. Other than Charlie the kids were perfectly deplorable and you can't wait to see what will happen to the next rotten child (no one is killed). I found it entertaining and would watch it again.
Depp steals the picture...
posted on 31 Aug 2009I found this movie far better than the 1971 version, mainly because of Depp's performance, which was strange yet intriguing. I don't quite think he was going for Michael Jackson; rather, I find Depp's Wonka to be far closer to Dahl's original portrayal from the novels.
Also upstanding were the performances by the children, which were far more interesting than their counterparts in the earlier film(with the sole exception of the Veruca Salt character, who was better before).