We just got back from seeing Tim Burton's film of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at our recently reopened local independent cinema. It was another movie I was prepared to dislike, but thought deserved a chance anyway - particularly considering the rave reviews it's been receiving. I think it's a qualified success.

While Burton has been quoted as disliking the original film and intending to remain faithful to the book in his version, neither of these are borne out in the new film itself. In fact, visually and directionally, Charlie often recalls the original film, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, starring Gene Wilder, but also it curiously references Burton's own Edward Scissorhands repeatedly, although without the sombre pathos of that remarkable film.

For anyone of my generation - many of whom rate Willa Wonka as an all-time favourite - it's hard to get past the original film version. There are a few omissions in that film - such as showing the children at the end - that are here redressed, along with a number of non-book additions, such as the subplot involving Wonka's dentist father (Christopher Lee in a role that somewhat parallels Vincent Price's in Edwards Scissorhands). There are new inconsistencies (Who are all those men on motorbikes who come out of the factory to put up posters?, What happened to Charlie's change?, If Wonka is reconciled with his father will he still need Charlie?*) and some new invention, certainly enough for the film to draw the viewer into this bizarre, marvellous world, at least at a superficial level.

The flashback showing Wonka in Oompa Loompa Land, whilst enjoyable and direct from the book, does remove ambiguity from the childlike shiftiness of the Wonka portrayed in the original film. Danny Elfman's songs, which set words direct from the books to music, are somehow inadequate, with the exception of the introductory "Willy Wonka" song, sung by the puppets - the lyrics are largely unintelligable and very prosaic when they can be understood, which is a long way from the consistent classics of the first film.

Scenery-wise, too many setpieces to recount appear directly reminiscent of the first film, but The Chocolate Room and The Television-Chocolate Room are probably sufficient to show what I mean, the latter being additionally saddled with a drawn out injoke referencing Kubrick's 2001.

The child actors hold up fairly well for the most part, particularly Charlie (Veruca looks disturbingly like my niece!). The reintroduction of the squirrels in the Nut Room sequence is welcome, and also among the creepier, Burtonesque moments (thankfully, there aren't too many). This scene works well on its own merits, but it's impossible to beat the showstopper from Willy Wonka (though the squirrels are equisite and the set design perfect).

Charlie's parents and grandparents are all excellent performances but overall, the other adult performances are subdued and unremarkable.

With the exception of Johnny Depp, that is! Most critics commenting on this film have raved about his unbelievably odd performance. Wilder's inspired, nuanced and scary performance as Willy Wonka aside, Depp reinterprets the role in a disturbed, idiosyncratic and bizarre manner. Sporting a Prince Valiant hairstyle and a wide toothy grin not reflected in his eyes, this Wonka works by turns to distance and embrace both audience and characters alike - and this is compelling to watch. I do wish the rewrite had given him more depth and some better lines, but the added flashbacks with his father do add something, though it is ultimately inconclusive.

On it's own terms Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is an enjoyable, diverting entertainment. However, for those familiar with the original film, it feels at too many points like a remake, rather than something entirely new. J and L really enjoyed it (and also enjoy the earlier film).

* SPOILER ALERT! Jill suggested I post my theory about part of the film here, with my review. I read the scene where Wonka visits his father, in a house standing alone, as him coming to feel at peace with his father, who is actually deceased. This echoes Wonka's father's threat about being "gone," and the disappearance of his house in the earlier scene. Very nice symbolism and an effective addition!

Labels: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Movie reviews