Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, not to be confused with the 1971 movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (I know, I thought it was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory too), is a fantasy movie starring Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka and is directed by who else but Tim Burton.
Everyone knows the plot of this movie so I won’t waste your time with it but I will go over how it is different from the 1971 film. In the newer film, much more screen time is given to Wonka and his background is explored a lot more. Well it would be more accurate to say infinitely more, because we knew next to nothing about Gene Wilder’s Wonka. There is a problem with Depp’s version, and it goes for most of the film as well, he is annoying and strange looking. But, you might say, strangeness is just part of Burton’s style. Well, I would reply, give me a reason why you like his haircut. Silence is the only thing that shall leave a sane person’s lips in answer.
His haircut aside, the visual style of this movie is easily the strong point of this film. It might have been its saving grace, had it not been for the Oompa Loompas. If I were to nitpick, and I will, then I should correct that to Oompa Loompa, for they are all played by one actor (Deep Roy). There is not a level in hell deep enough in Dante’s epic to imprison such a horrifying thing (I exaggerate but it is still bad).
And woe be to you if you were to hear the “Willy Wonka” song, for it bores into your skull like a parasitic rubber ball. Bouncing around, sucking all the joy from your soul. I didn’t much care for this film when I first saw it, I still don’t, and so I shall leave you with a video that matches my opinion of this film. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is available on DVD and Blu-Ray.
#Peace.Love.WillyWonka
