Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (DVD, 2005, Widescreen)

Johnny Depp and Tim Burton team up again in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - a hilarious and wildly visual remake of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Just like any other Tim Burton movie, Charlie & The Chocolate Factory is fantastic to watch - great color, production and direction. And just like any other Johnny Depp movie, its very well acted.

Johnny Depp and Tim Burton got rave reviews for the movie which drove strong box office success nationally and abroad. Kids and parents alike will enjoy the movie - for different reasons. Either way, its a very fun and different twist on a classic movie... and I'm always up for a Depp / Burton combination:

"Wondrous....Charlie and the Chocolate Factory moves, like Dahl's original, in a straight line from one inspired set piece to the next..."
New York Times - A. O. Scott (07/15/2005)

"Tim Burton surrounds Depp with miraculous visuals of spun sugar and creeping menace. Their missionary lunacy is a treat for twisted children of all ages."
Rolling Stone - Peter Travers (07/28/2005)

"Depp deserves kudos for fashioning an original and outlandish if occasionally menacing character in CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY....[The film is] a marvel of rich, colorful design and flair."
USA Today - Claudia Puig (07/15/2005)


Charlie & The Chocolate Factory Cast
Johnny Depp .... Willy Wonka
Freddie Highmore .... Charlie Bucket
David Kelly .... Grandpa Joe
Helena Bonham Carter .... Mrs. Bucket
Noah Taylor .... Mr. Bucket
Missi Pyle .... Mrs. Beauregarde
James Fox .... Mr. Salt
Deep Roy .... Oompa Loompa
Christopher Lee .... Dr. Wonka
Adam Godley .... Mr. Teavee
Franziska Troegner .... Mrs. Gloop
Annasophia Robb .... Violet Beauregarde
Julia Winter .... Veruca Salt
Jordan Fry .... Mike Teavee
Philip Wiegratz .... Augustus Gloop

Some Great Charlie & Chocolate Factory Quotes:

Violet Beauregarde: [hugs Wonka] Mr.Wonka, I'm Violet Beauregarde.
Willy Wonka: [Wonka looks at her terrified as she chews her gum] Oh. I don't care.
Violet Beauregarde: Well, you should care because I'm the girl who's gonna win the special prize at the end.
Willy Wonka: Well, you do seem confident and confidence is key.
Veruca Salt: I'm Veruca Salt. It's very nice to meet you, sir.
[does a curtsy]
Willy Wonka: I always thought a verruca was a type of wart you got on the bottom of your foot. Ha.


Augustus Gloop: [Augustus steps in front of Veruca] I'm Augustus Gloop. I love your chocolate.
Willy Wonka: I can see that. So do I. I never expected to have so much in common.
[Wonka stops and turns around to Mike]
Willy Wonka: You, you're Mike Teavee. You're the little devil who cracked the system.
[looks at Charlie]
Willy Wonka: And you, you're just lucky to be here, aren't you?

Several reviews of this film seem to rate it by comparison to the original version starring Gene Wilder. Some reviews even go so far as to say that one or the other is too scary or inappropriate for children. You've gotta realize they're basing both films on a rather creepy novel by a rather odd author, Roald Dahl. As a child I found some aspects of the Gene Wilder film disturbing: Willy Wonka seemed to be on drugs; ALL the kids disobeyed Willy Wonka but Charlie got off scot-free while the others were punished in horrifying ways; at the end, you are left with the impression that the other kids could be dead; and the Oompah-Loompas are just plain weird, not to mention Willy Wonka's slaves. As an adult, I found the Johnny Depp version disturbing, for different reasons: Willy Wonka, with his white skin and effeminate manner, too closely resembled Michael Jackson; while Wilder-as-Wonka's remarks to the children came off as cryptic, Depp's seemed more malicious; and Depp's Oompah-Loompahs were not clownish or harmless, they seemed menacing. On the plus side, the Depp version makes it clear the other children survive (as they do in the book). Also, Violet Beauregard is punished for being too aggressively competitive, NOT for chewing gum. Though this is a departure from the book and the first film, I liked it...because if chewing gum is so awful, why does Willy Wonka make gum in his factory? The whole point of this story is to teach a moral lesson, not set up innocent kids to be tortured. In the first film, for example, Violet is rather pleasant and Mike, though a bit smart-alecky, is curious and intelligent. They are punished, not because they are nasty brats, but because Willy Wonka doesn't like excessive gum chewing and prefers books to TV. Rather subjective. In the Depp version, Violet is obnoxious and Mike is addicted to violent video games; more viewers can agree that they are deserving of punishment. Because both films have happy endings and both actors playing Wonka are likable by the end, despite their initial weirdness, both films succeed as fairy tales with good morals, and both can be watched again and again. If you like the book and don't find it too weird for children, then you will probably like BOTH films, and will enjoy comparing the similarities and differences.

I had really high hopes for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but it couldn't match up to the original. This version tells the same classic story with a modern edge for a new generation of kids. The movie shows a more advanced and more twisted chocolate factory, which serves to better hold the attention and wonder of today's children. Willy Wonka, played by Johnny Depp seams crazy and intriguing... a little disturbing, the Oompa Loompa's have lost most of there charm and mysteriousness in this version, and Charlie is the same good-hearted little boy.
I enjoyed the original movie so much more. Willy Wonka, as psychotic didn't work will for the movie. The visuals were more intense, but not as interesting or as intricate. It was like watching my favorite musical performed by junior high students, where songs are replaced by modern ones and the costumes are less dramatic. Stick with the original.

First off, Johnny Depp is probably one of the best actors alive today. His eccentric personality really livens up the character of Willy Wonka. Tim Burton, the amazing director of this movie and other favorites such as Edward Scissor Hands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Big Fish, did a great job in this movie adding his signature dark-humored view through the camera lens. The costume design and color scheme was beyond belief with its great pastels. Special effects were great, as well. Lastly, Danny Elfman wrote and produced a fantastical cacophony of a sound track.

The plot itslef was very similar to the origial movie. But I thought the character development of Willy Wonka and his father was an interesting side plot.

The actor who plays charlie is almost angelic. When he finds the last golden ticket, you almost want to cry. What a great moment.

Overall, this movie was outstanding! I will be watching it forever. It does not replace the original movie, but instead creates its own aproach to Rohal Dahl's book.

AN excellent, excellent movie!

This Film surprised me. When I was a young boy, I saw the original movie ["Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" starring the amazing Gene Wilder] and was an instant fan of this classic tale of good and selflessness that made us all root for the young boy, Charlie. While this quirky, new, 'revisit' motion picture clearly has the stamp of it's Director, Tim Burton all over its story, it too has a presence and a compelling cast of characters that my children are enjoying a great deal. Like the original, this new remake now titled, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" is a great film the whole family can enjoy. 5 Stars