07.18.05

Movie Review

Posted in Uncategorized at 11:15 am by Perry

I went to go see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory this weekend with Miriam.  We are both fans of the original movie and have waited in eager anticipation for this movie since it starred Johnny Depp and was directed by Tim Burton, a duo that seems to never go wrong; that is, until they collaborated on this movie. 

As to be expected, the scenery dominated in the film.  Scenes of the main candy room, Charlie’s house, and the city in which they lived were classic Burton and they were wonderful because of it.  Unfortunately, Tim Burton seemed to think that the story needed deep plot development.  The story of Willy Wonka could have stood tall on imagery alone without a need to explore the inner depths of Wonkas childhood through tedious and poorly done flashbacks.

The original story by Rohl Dahl was made for children.  The book has been such a success because it leaves so much to the imagination.  We expected that Burton would make a dark and ominous rendition of the story we were not expecting him to create a character like Edward Scissor hands from Willy Wonka. 

Then there is the issue of Johnny Depp.  I personally thought he was wonderful.  He made Willy Wonka strange, creepy, and overall, quite likeable (something Gene Wilder failed to do).  Many complaints have been made that Depp made the character to odd when compared to Wilder, but, when compared to the Wonka of Rohl Dahl’s book, he was marvelous. 
In fact, Depp’s acting and Burton’s scenery are the only worthy elements of the film.  The oompa lumpas (excuse the spelling) were similar to the previous movie but their songs were both annoying and an attempt on appealing to commercial musical tastes.  While I tried not to make comparisons between the two movies, I couldn’t help but long for Wilder’s soft comforting voice during his unforgettable song in the main candy room. 

In summary, if you like Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, this movie will have something for you to enjoy (even if it is purely visual).  If the film’s makers would have allowed the imagery and filming to stand alone it could have been a great film.  I would recommend the movie to only a select few people and even then it is not worth paying to see it in a theatre. 

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