Charlie et la chocolaterie

I never cease to be amazed by the versatility of Johnny Depp. Whether he is a pirate or writing Peter Pan or an adventurer or a criminal, he never fails to entertain. There is nothing he hasn't done in his 45 films, or will not have done in the five films currently in production or the 15 films in pre-production. Even as the creepy Willy Wonka (Think Michael Jackson for comparison.), he was magnificent. Maybe we have to blame his father (Christopher Lee) for some of that creepiness. After all, depriving your child of Halloween candy is just mean.

But, the real star of this film was Charlie (Freddie Highmore), who was the only sane child that arrived at the factory. He was surrounded by four of the most obnoxious children (and their obnoxious parents) that I have ever seen. They got what they deserved.

The color, imagination, costumes, and sets were magnificent. It was such a pleasure to watch.

Depp comes through again. I am not surprised.

I'm admittedly a sucker for Tim Burton's aesthetic, his visual and narrative style is very captivating and unique. Despite Charlie and the Chocolate Factory not being one of his best films, there's still a lot to go for in this darker and more faithful adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic novel. I haven't watched the 1971 version in a long time, i think i saw it back when i was a kid, and never bothered to watched again. From what i understand, the 71 version is considered better, yet less faithful than this version, i can't make this evaluation, since i also haven't read the novel. What i can say for sure is that i enjoyed this version a lot, if not even more than the classic Gene Wilder one. Tim Burton, while being very faithful to the source material, brought a lot of his own identity to the movie, there's a little bit of every past Burton movie in here. The main cast was great, especially the little Freddie Highmore, whose talent was tangible from a very young age. Deep Roy was another standout as the Oompa-Loompas, his musical numbers were both hilarious and creative, the lyrics and choreography were very catchy. The most controversial thing about this movie is Johnny Depp's performance as Willy Wonka, many people didn't liked, some even stated it was an offense to Gene Wilder's iconic portrayal of the character. In my opinion, although Wilder's performance is undeniably iconic, Depp was also pretty decent in the role, despite not having the same dramatic gravitas and natural comic wit. This movie was generally a bit of a mix bag, with Freddie Highmore and the Oompa-Loompas being very high points, and Depp's performance and the CGI being more hit-and-miss. Despite some clear flaws, i'll still give the movie a positive rating since i enjoyed Highmore and Roy so much.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of watching "Charlie & the Chocolate Factory" at the Wilkinson American Movie Day. And, oh boy, I was in delight! Don't expect a bleak remake of the amusing (and rather psychedelic) 1971-version. It is in every way a genuine Tim Burton-movie, stacked with beautiful imagery, wacky humor and bizarre characters, but at the same time faithful enough to the spirit of the novel. Roald Dahl would've been proud. It also features outstanding performances by the entire cast. Johnny Depp gives us a strange, almost creepy Willy Wonka, Freddie Highmore is a perfect Charlie, the Grandparents are lovable and wacky, and the five other children and their parents are amusingly irritating. And last but not least, an excellent soundtrack by Mr. Danny Elfman, reminiscent of both Edward Scissorhands and his early Oingo Boingo-days. Go see this with your parents, children, grandparents, movie buff-friends, nephews and nieces ... they will be equally delighted!

Depending on what it is you like about Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, you may not like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as much. I personally think that it is the strangest role for Johnny Depp. Gene Wilder Willy Wonka as Having a very colorful and creative character the in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Willy Wonka seems like he has a bit of mental issues.

If Tim Burton's out there I just want to thank him for bringing the spirit of the book's original illustrations to the screen. He even matched the facial expressions to the drawings, especially in the case of Charlie's family. Charlie himself looks like one of the drawings, and the Bucket house is so much like the illustrations it caused me to realize that Burton is as visual as any movie director can be. (Recent editions feature the work of a different illustrator. I'm talking about the illustrations from the 1960s. The difference between the older illustrations and the newer ones is the older ones feature a lot of cross-hatching. I imagine the older illustrations are still available, especially in a hardcover, but you'll need to search the net.) I don't know how he did it, but he got the facial expressions of Charlie's family and of Mike Teavea's father down perfectly. He also absorbed Dahl's sense of humor. The opening fifteen minutes or so, in which the winners of the golden tickets are announced one by one, really get Roald Dahl's sense of the ridiculous. I think Burton's addition of Wonka's childhood story fits well, although I'll agree that the way this is resolved is not completely in Dahl's spirit. Even in the resolution, however, Burton maintains sly humor. It is well-acted by everybody. I'd like to say that Julia Winter, who plays Veruca Salt, has turned in a truly well-observed comedic performance. Depp converts the novel's jaunty, precise Wonka into a quirky one, but it works well, because, as in the novel, Wonka's endearing traits contrast with the fact that he's a tyrant. Roald Dahl gets a rap for his cynicism, and this movie softens his message a bit. Dahl is a bit like Orwell. Both of them point out that man, given power, will exploit his fellow human beings. CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY the movie is not quite as dark as the book. But it comes very, very close.