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Charlie and the
Chocolate Factory
Directed by: Tim Burton
Starring: Johnny Depp
Genre:
Fantasy
Run Time: 115
min.
Release Date:
July 2005
On The Web:
Official
Site
Teaser:
Movie Trailer
Reviewed by
Byron Merritt |
Being a
huge fan of the 1971 film staring Gene Wilder,
I had to wait a while and let the hype from this film settle down a bit
before seeing it. I'd heard some people hated it because it didn't
"feel" like the WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY they grew
up with, while others applauded Tim Burton for
making another unforgettable movie experience.
Most of you reading this should (by now) know the story of Wonka: famous
chocolatier closes his factory for many years because of competing
chocolate makers stealing all his secrets. Then, suddenly, he decides to
reopen the factory, but only to five children who find the five golden
tickets hidden inside Wonka bars. The great puzzler that the world asks
is "Why?" Why open up only to five kids and not the world? This is Willy
Wonka's secret agenda and the climax to both the 1971 film and this 2005
"re-imagining".
Hollywood is remaking everything nowadays. I
see this as a two-fold issue: #1 - they seem to have run out of original
story ideas (or at the very least have few left) so they're remaking
what made money in the past; #2 - they're trying (and successfully I
might add) to tap into the X-Generations' childhood love of certain
films and bring them back to the big screen, thus pulling us (I'm a Gen-Xer,
too) back into the movie theater to spend our hard-earned cash. I'm not
knocking either possible philosophy. I mean, filmmaking is a business
and they need to make money one way or the other.
But what about this film? Well, it's engaging and interesting, if
somewhat darker than the light-hearted musical we saw over three decades
ago (most viewers shouldn't be surprised by this since it's done by the
"master of dark themes" himself, Mr. Burton). But I can also see modern
marketers inserting various items into the story in order to lighten it
up a bit (the TV room is most notable for this with its homage to 2001:
A SPACE ODYSSEY).
Comparing them - as other reviews have pointed out - is like comparing
apples to apples. And with respect to the screenplays, they are mostly
right. But this film definitely took less liberties with Roald Dahl's
classic book than did the '71 version. And this movie is also not a
"musical" (only a select few numbers are done which mirror the book, and
they're all done by the oompa loompas).
I also enjoyed a more balanced approach to both Charlie's and Wonka's
lives. We get to see more of Wonka and just about the same amount of
Charlie in this new adaptation.
I also think that the casting was perfect. Charlie Bucket (played by
Freddie Highmore) was an excellent choice for the main role. I loved him
in FINDING NEVERLAND, and I still love him after watching this.
Willy Wonka (Johnny Depp, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST)
is creepy and gruff, but strangely enjoyable to watch. My only complaint
here would be that I felt more of the "magic" coming from Gene Wilder's
portrayal in '71. With Mr. Depp I didn't feel much magic at all, and
only a bit of sympathy and bizarre revulsion toward what Willy Wonka had
become. But still, Depp played him very well ...just differently.
My heart still rests with the original, but this one is certainly
entertaining. Although the magic isn't present, there are still many
other aspect that'll engage young and old viewers alike, and will surely
cause very heated conversations about which adaptation is the best.
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Image from Charlie and the
Chocolate Factory
DVD cost: $9.99
Purchase:
BestPrices.com
Film Review Stew
Favorite? No.
Stew Poo-Poo? No.
Newsworthy: Deep Roy
played every Oompa-Loompa himself, repeating the same movements several
hundred times. While these were then put together digitally, each
Oompa-Loompa represents a separate performance by Roy. In recognition of
this, Roy's salary was raised to $1,000,000.
Movie Quote: "I'd
give anything in the world just to go into that amazing factory."
Other Actors/Actresses
from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
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