Chocolate Same Amount of Sweetness as Original Product

Let me start with two disclaimers. 1. I hate Hollywood remakes. I think one of the least original things that someone can do in movieville is remake a movie that has already been made. 2. I love Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. It was probably on my list of favorite movies till I was like 16 ... meaing it holds a very special place in my heart (as does the original veruca but more on that later). That being said I thought the Tim Burton/Johnny Depp CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY was a fun, enjoyable night at the movies, one during which I laughed a lot and smile even more.

Johnny Depp is 'really weird' as he states during the movie, but he's great. He sparkles on the screen. The other (not surprising) thing sparkling in this film is the art direction. Everything looks great - the colors, the images, the costumes, the strange machines, everything. Fine performances are turned in by the entire ensemble including Helena BOnham Carter (with really bad teeth) as Charlie's mother and CHrostopher Lee (with really good teeth) as Wonka's dentist father.

So why did I leave disappointed? What did I want out of the movie?

I think I wanted a reason for the movie to exist. I was fairly happy with the original. Now I have been told that this movie is supposed to be more true to the book... Here is my issue, nothing very essential to the story was added. THe lengthening of the story before and after the trip to the factory (i.e. charlie's family) just serves to lengthen the time away from what makes the story interesting. CHarlie is by far the dullest character in the movie (and the original and the book). THat is part of the cenceit - he is a normal good kid who gets rewarded. That however, does not make for very intersting cinema. THe original movie dealt with this by a) getting to the factory as soon as possible and ending the story there b) adding a scene where charlie does something 'bad' - the floating to the fan scene and c) making there some question about whether charlie was going to steal info for slugworth. The new movie fails in all those areas, CHarlie is by far duller than the orginal charlie, and that's really hard. Don't get me wring, I'm not saying this is the fault of the actor, who is really quite sweet and cute - but the character its self is flawed. It has no arc. It goes no where. He is left unchanged by his experiences in the whole movie. And if that's not a recipe for disaster I don't know what is.

Another difference is the music. Now I must make anoth admission: I hate Danny Elfman. I think all his music sounds the same and if I never hear the soundtrack to nightmare before christmas again I will die a happy man. But WILLIE WONKA is a musical. CHARLIE is not. the only singing in the new movie is done by the oompa loompas (and animatronic puppets at the entrance of the factory). I enjoyed each one of the oompa songs individualy, but they did not have the same effecct on the movie as in the original, where they feel like one song which is continually reprised. Everyone remembers the oompa lumpas, everyone can sing there little song...remember their warnings. That's not true in this one.

Then there is the matter of Veruca Salt. Now most young boys develop a sort of crush on her (leading inevitably to years of dating girls you could never possibly please). SHe has the best song in the original film, and best way of getting her ticket. Anyway, she is basically a non-entity in the new movie, being completly outdone by Violet, the over competitive gum chewing daughter of a pagaent queen. Oh and she is a black belt in karate. So what will that lead the boys to date in the future? Only time well tell, but she was definitely the best of the kids. RIP Veruca.

Overall I recommend this movie to people who can't get enough candy, people who love Tim Burton, or Johnny Depp, and people just curious to see another movie about WIllie WOnka: B-