Charlie And The Chocolate Factory

Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore, David Kelly, Christopher Lee, Deep Roy, Helena Bonham Carter
Certificate: PG
Running time: 115 mins

When eccentric confectioner Willy Wonka (Depp) decides that he needs an heir to take over his business he hides Golden Tickets in five chocolate bars, inviting their finders to visit the factory and potentially win a prize beyond their wildest dreams. All five winners are generally horrible apart from the angelic yet destitute Charlie Bucket (Highmore). As the rotten kids are whittled down in Wonka's madhouse factory only Charlie remains.

More so than 1971's Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, John August's screenplay aims to stay as faithful as possible to Roald Dahl's conception whilst throwing in a reinterpretation of the ending and also a dark history of Wonka himself. Exploring Wonka humanises him and makes him an altogether more complex character, but at the price of losing the sense of mystery that surrounded him both in the book and the 1971 movie and does make Wonka more the focus of the movie than Charlie, the supposed hero. Even so, the addition sits very well within the film's atmosphere as a whole and Depp portrays the character excellently.

As far as acting goes, Burton regular Depp does well in bringing out the character's new-found complexities and is entertaining to watch, satisfying both kids with his zaniness and adults with his dark humour. Although Depp's Wonka is a much more developed entity than Gene Wilder’s in 1971, the latter’s mystery and hilarious deadpan delivery may still make him the preferable Wonka for many. Meanwhile, the children are all slightly less horrible than in Wonka, making their respective demises a little less emotionally fulfilling, though more visually satisfying with imaginative (if sometimes inaudible) ditties by the Oompa-Loompas (Deep Roy). Charlie himself is very well portrayed by Highmore (Finding Neverland) and gives a slightly less sickly performance than Wonka’s Peter Ostrum.

Visually, the movie is Tim Burton all over, with perhaps more attention being drawn to the colourful and magical room of the factory than the actors themselves. Burton is a master of the dreamscape and the nightmarish equally, with both being used to great effect. As colourful as Depp's performance, the visual experience will enrapture kids and impress adults.

Charlie And The Chocolate Factory should find favour with most fans of the book, with Burton being a fine choice of director to put Dahl’s vision onto screen. The acting is extreme, as can be expected under the eye of Burton, and Depp and Highmore both fit in well with his style. On the other hand, the loss of mystery behind Wonka and a nagging feeling of style over substance could ultimately put a dampener on the experience.