Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Well. Well, well, well. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. This is an odd one, I must say. I've had a day to think on it, and I'm still not entirely sure if I liked it or not. But I think I'm leaning toward a positive review. It might be easier if I hadn't had that infectious little "Willy Wonka" jingle running through my head non-stop all day ("Willy Wonka, Willy Wonka, the amazing chocolateer..."). But I digress.

Perhaps I should start by mentioning the original Willy Wonka movie. It terrified me as a child. You see, I thought the children were all being killed off. I will at least tell you that in this movie, I doubt your children will get that impression, altough thanks to special effects (yeah, "thanks"), the... situations the children visiting the factory undergo are a bit more dramatic. Although I've never watched the original movie all the way through (as I said, terrified), I still felt the bulk of the plot was a re-tread. I don't know what I expected, but I found myself a little bored at times. If your children haven't seen the original (or read the book, I suppose, which I haven't), they will likely feel more delighted. There is a different ending, and some different background plots, which at least add some new interest.

But does that mean I found the movie boring, overall? No, I think, a bit predictable, of course, but I'd say it's not a boring movie. It does have some funny moments, although I think I only laughed out loud once (I'm not a big laugher, though, so consider it a compliment that I did at all). If anything, there is at least quite a bit to look at, and some bizarre Oompa-Loompa song and dance numbers, which certainly are better, and substantially less creepy, than in the first movie.

Johnny Depp, as Wonka, reunites here with Freddie Highmore, who plays Charlie, and was also the charming little boy in Finding Neverland, also starring Depp. Freddie's role is once again charming. Depp's is not.

I must say, Depp certainly commits 100% to every character, and this is yet another unique performance. Never does Johnny Depp play himself. What I mean is, it is never "Johnny Depp playing Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka." It's "Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka." Johnny Depp is Willy Wonka, though this is a high-voiced, poorly-coifed, man-child Willy Wonka, whom I would certainly never want to meet.

Is this a problem? Well, this Willy Wonka makes me squirm uncomfortably a bit. But he also seems to make the other characters (not the actors, but the characters) squirm a bit uncomfortably. So I suppose, since the story and cast work with Creepy Willy, rather than him seeing misplaced, it works for me. Would I have preferred a more fun, confident Willy, sans the bob haircut? Yes. But this is a film from Tim Burton, the man behind The Nightmare Before Christmas. So we couldn't expect this movie to be too cuddly, could we?

If anything, I expect the movie will garner a cult following of fans who like oddly-lit movies full of slightly off-looking people. I wouldn't take children too terribly young, just because some of the film is unsettling, but I don't think this movie is too creep-tacular to be unfit for mainstream audiences. Have a go, unless your children have been formerly traumatized by a Burton movie.

Bottom Line: This quirky, kinda-creepy "kids movie" will be fun, so long as you're braced for the bizarre.