'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory': Visually tantalizing but short on substance
By DAVE LARSEN
Dayton Daily News
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is as visually appealing as a delicately swirled, gourmet confection. But just as when you eat too many such treats, the highly anticipated film doesn't sit quite right.
Directed by Tim Burton, Charlie is the second film version of Roald Dahl's 1964 children's novel, as opposed to a remake of the beloved 1971 movie musical Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, which starred Gene Wilder as the eccentric candy man.
Burton's take is a little dark and very quirky, as one would expect from the creator of films such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands and The Nightmare Before Christmas. The film marks his fourth collaboration with Johnny Depp, who puts his own bizarre spin on Wonka.
Warner Brothers Pictures
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Yet for all its imaginative visuals and droll humor, the colorful fantasy seems a bit peculiar and detached. Some of it stems from the cruel edge of Dahl's original story, a cautionary tale about indulgence. But Burton and company also are guilty of their own excesses, from a twisted subplot that explores Wonka's troubled childhood to Depp's somewhat creepy performance.
As fans of Dahl's novel or the first film know, Wonka is a mysterious chocolatier who makes the world's best candies. However, he does so in total seclusion, having dismissed his entire staff 15 years earlier for fear of spies stealing his secret recipes. No one is ever seen going in or out of his massive factory, yet production continues apace.
One day, Wonka announces a contest. Five Golden Tickets have been hidden in random Wonka candy bars and distributed throughout the world. The lucky children who find them will tour his factory, along with a family member, and one will win a prize beyond their wildest imagination.
The first four tickets are found by truly rotten children — gluttonous Augustus Gloop (Philip Wiegratz), spoiled Veruca Salt (Julia Winter), hyper-competitive Violet Beauregard (Annasophia Robb) and over-stimulated Mike Teavee (Jordan Fry).
The fifth is miraculously found by Charlie Bucket (Freddie Highmore), a poor boy who lives with his parents and four grandparents in a small, ramshackle house in the shadow of Wonka's factory. A selfless lad, Charlie considers selling his precious ticket to buy food for his family, which subsists on watery cabbage soup, but his dour Grandpa George (David Morris) convinces him otherwise.
Charlie goes accompanied by his Grandpa Joe (David Kelly). The winners arrive at Wonka's gate for their wondrous tour, only to be greeted by a decrepit It's a Small World-like puppet show that comically bursts into flames, melting the animatronic figures.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory similarly starts to go awry. Depp's Wonka is strangely reminiscent of Michael Jackson with his high-pitched voice, powdered skin, bobbed hairstyle, ornate jacket and lavender gloves.
The Oompa-Loompas — all played by one actor, Deep Roy — could sub for Bubbles the chimp.
The Jackson association eventually fades, but Depp's odd, snippy delivery remains off-putting.
Screenwriter John August's subplot about Wonka's issues with his father (Christopher Lee), which plays out in recurring flashbacks, also hits a sour note.
Burton falls back on his visual genius to have a field day with the factory, where the various brats meet their comeuppance at Wonka's hand.
The whimsical wonderland abounds in amusing sight gags, with a slightly edgy touch.
While not a musical, the film features a number of Oompa-Loompa songs, written in various styles and performed by Danny Elfman, with lyrics from Dahl's text. Elfman has become a top film-score composer, but the lively tunes harken back to his 1980s rock band Oingo Boingo.
Children should enjoy Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, especially if they've never seen the first film — which itself was a critical and commercial flop that went on to become a classic.
Burton's film doesn't appear likely to enjoy the same longevity. It's better than his Planet of the Apes remake, but falls short of his own benchmarks, losing steam midway much as Sleepy Hollow did.
But like Charlie Bucket, Burton-and-Depp fans can cling to eternal hope. The duo's fifth collaboration, The Corpse Bride, opens Sept. 23 in theaters. The trailer for the stop-motion animated film that precedes Charlie and the Chocolate Factory looks highly appetizing — more so, at least, than the main course.
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