Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

Director Tim Burton's remake of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971), based on a book by Roald Dahl, which doesn't really improve upon the original. I like Tim Burton, and will gladly follow wherever he may lead his audience, as his movies are simply fun to watch and he chooses captivating stories to portray, but this one left me wanting more, aside from the wonderful squirrel scene. I'm also a huge Johnny Depp fan and go out of my way to catch his movies, so this was a must see for me.

The special effects in the first movie were outta sight, to use a term from that period, particularly the swirly graphics of text during the oompa loompa songs, which were largely non-existent in this newest version. The initial glimpse of the factory didn't seem very different from the original and the boat ride down the chocolate river was lackluster in comparison. Additionally, I wasn't enthralled by the new oompa loompa songs, which were a little too glamorous for my taste and a bit redundant as all of the oompa loompas were played by one actor.

I heard Tim Burton was trying to remain truer to the original story, although I never read it, but movies aren't books. It's hard to beat Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka in the original movie version, and Depp plays Wonka in a strangely weird and girlish way, which often left me questioning his portrayal of that character rather than just accepting it.