Director
Tim Burton
Cast
Johnny Depp - Willy Wonka
Freddie Highmore - Charlie Bucket
Helena Bonham Carter - Mrs. Bucket
Noah Taylor - Mr. Bucket
Julia Winter - Veruca Salt
Jordan Fry - Mike Teavee
Philip Wiegratz - Augustus Gloop
AnnaSophia Robb - Violet Beauregarde
Deep Roy - Oompa Loompas
What makes Burton's version unique is the backstory behind Wonka that's included in the story. The audience has insight into his early motivations to start producing candy, and how he came across the Oompa Loompas who help produce his delicacies.
"I like the other one" my six-year old son said after watching the 2005 Tim Burton movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for the first time over the weekend. It's currently streaming on Netflix. Though I don't care for this movie, I wanted to show it to my kids and see their reactions.
"So do I," I replied.
"Yeah! [Willy Wonka] looks like a girl," my daughter said.
"I think it's his hair," I said. "His stupid hair."
Everyone can be a critic. It's easy!
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a remake of the story first told by writer Roald Dahl in his book of the same name.
It was first adapted into a film in 1971, under the title Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory with comedian Gene Wilder playing Wonka, and former child actor Peter Ostrum as Charlie Bucket. The earlier film, directed by Mel Stuart, had Roald Dahl himself writing the screenplay.
Despite that, Dahl was unhappy with the final production, especially with the decision to cast Wilder in the lead role.
I have no problem, generally, with movie remakes. As I've mentioned over and over, remakes are as old as the movie industry. A lot of our beloved classics are technically remakes - The Wizard of Oz (1939), Dracula (1931), The Maltese Falcon (1941), Ben-Hur (1959), His Girl Friday (1940), Scarface (1983), Ocean's Eleven (2001),... the list of remakes is long.
So, a remake, or rather a reimagining in this particular case, to the classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is certainly understandable. Especially as the original film is not as close to the source material as it could be. And many of its elements are rather dated.
I'll add here that, generally speaking, I don't care as much as others might about how close a movie is to the book it's based on. As long as they respect their source material, they're stories told by other people.
"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" as told by Mel Stuart, or Tim Burton.
Surely everyone, and I mean everyone, by now knows this story.
A candy maker named Willy Wonka (Johnny Depp) places five golden tickets into five random chocolate bars.
The recipient of each ticket is invited to tour Wonka's chocolate factory, which has since been closed off to the public for years.
The world goes frantic over these golden tickets, which are all discovered by five lucky children, Charlie Bucket (Freddie Highmore) being the last kid to find one.
Charlie comes from a very poor family. His father works in a toothpaste manufacturing company screwing the caps onto the toothpaste tubes.
All four of his grandparents also live in their modest caricature of a shack.
When Charlie finds the last of the tickets, he invites his Grandpa Joe (David Kelly) to go with him to Wonka's factory.
Grandpa Joe used to work in the factory. However, candy making competitors would send spies into Wonka's factory to steal his recipes. This spelled financial peril for Wonka, so he sent all his workers home for good and closed his factory off to the public.
Urban legends about whose making Wonka's candies, and what kinds of candy Wonka is baking began circling outside the factory.
When the lucky ticket finders arrive at the factory, the tour they receive is certainly beyond their expectations.
The relationship between young Willy and his father, Dr. Wilbur Wonka, DDS (Christopher Lee), is also an integral part of the story.
While the story seems to shift between Charlie and his family's struggles, to Wonka struggling with his inner-turmoil thanks to the rocky relationship between he and his father, the performances are terrible.
Johnny Depp is certainly a talented actor. And to his credit, he has portrayed a vast array of different kinds of characters. One can't say Depp always plays the same kind of role in his movies. My personal favorite of Depp's roles is Gilbert Grape in the1993 movie What's Eating Gilbert Grape.
His role as Willy Wonka is completely strange, to put it simply.
Despite the backstory we're given, his Wonka is a complete enigma. I can't put my finger on what he wants his Wonka to be. Is he a man-child? Is he feigning his emotions? Is he torn inside? Is he genuinely happy? Does he intend to be mysterious? Does he actually hate children? Is he an alien? I have no idea.
The obvious persona Depp's Wonka has is reminiscent of Michael Jackson inviting children to play at his Neverland Ranch. It's unappealing to say the least.
Wilder's Wonka is welcoming, elegant, kind at times, unsympathetic at other times, and borderline insane here and there. He's unpredictable, and it's intentional just as soon as he appears on screen. Wilder wanted his version of Wonka to be unpredictable, and he pulled that off beautifully thanks to his performance.
I appreciate Burton's attempt to recreate the Wonka character, and make Wonka his own. But Depp's Wonka is inconsistent. He wants children to join him in his factory. But when they arrive, he acts like their a nuisance. It boils down to a bad performance on Depp's part.
I appreciate Burton's attempt to recreate the Wonka character, and make Wonka his own. But Depp's Wonka is inconsistent. He wants children to join him in his factory. But when they arrive, he acts like their a nuisance. It boils down to a bad performance on Depp's part.
Burton's version of Charlie Bucket is portrayed as absolutely flawless. He's so squeaky clean, Charlie is left being completely unrelatable. I mean, he's so perfect, I'm surprised Burton's movie doesn't end the story with Charlie rising from the dead to redeem us all.
There are good kids, but no kid is flawless. Whether a child is a good child can be determined by how they deal with their shortcomings, and work to overcome them. This is what distinguishes Charlie from the other kids in the original 1971 version, making him the better choice for a successor to Wonka.
The original Charlie is a good kid, but he still acts like a typical kid. He's self-indulgent in one scene where he buys some Wonka chocolate and begins stuffing it in his mouth.
Later, he grows jealous of the others finding the tickets before he does, knowing his chances are slim to none.
In one scene in the original movie, Charlie goes to visit his mother at work to tell her the third ticket was found. He can't hide his frustration, disappointment, and self-pity.
In one scene in the original movie, Charlie goes to visit his mother at work to tell her the third ticket was found. He can't hide his frustration, disappointment, and self-pity.
"Well in case you're wondering if it'll be me, it won't be. Just in case you're wondering, you can count me out," he tells her.
His mother reminds him that there's a "hundred billion people in this world, and only five of them will find Golden Tickets,"
"Even if you had a sack full of money you probably wouldn't find one," she says. "And after this contest is over, you'll be no different from the billions of others who didn't find one."
Charlie, like a typical kid, becomes conceited at this remark.
"But I am different," he says. "I want it more than any of them."
Feeling her son's frustration at the chance of a better life being so close yet so far, she tries to offer him words of encouragement.
"Charlie, you'll get your chance. One day things will change," she says.
Charlie lets his disappointment and despair take over.
"When? When will they change?"
His mother reminds him that there's a "hundred billion people in this world, and only five of them will find Golden Tickets,"
"Even if you had a sack full of money you probably wouldn't find one," she says. "And after this contest is over, you'll be no different from the billions of others who didn't find one."
Charlie, like a typical kid, becomes conceited at this remark.
"But I am different," he says. "I want it more than any of them."
Feeling her son's frustration at the chance of a better life being so close yet so far, she tries to offer him words of encouragement.
"Charlie, you'll get your chance. One day things will change," she says.
Charlie lets his disappointment and despair take over.
"When? When will they change?"
That's when his mom breaks into the song "Cheer Up, Charlie," which I always fast-forwarded when I was a kid.
Later in the original, the other children disobey Wonka's rules one by one, resulting in some disastrous result for each of them.
Charlie is no different. He and his grandpa steal some soda that makes them lighter than air, after Wonka distinctly tells his visitors not to take any as it's not ready to consume.
Wonka calls Charlie and his Grandpa Joe out on it in the end. And when he does, Grandpa Joe calls Wonka a swindler, among other things.
Charlie defies his own grandfather just to own up to the mistake he's made. Despite his flaws, this is the honesty and integrity that Wonka wants in his successor. This is why he gives Charlie his factory.
The newer Charlie is so perfect, he doesn't overcome anything, or learn any kind of lesson. Instead, the film ends with Charlie helping Wonka reestablish his relationship with his father. So, Wonka is the one that needs help. Not Charlie. It's a part of the story that seems like an afterthought.
Burton's Charlie just takes the tour, looks innocent and cute, watches the other kids get picked off one by one, and then gets his reward. Boring! Nothing for audiences to take away except the candy scenes.
The scenery, which is impressive at times, is rather Tim Burton-y. It looks as though Burton pulled it out of German impressionism films - a style common in early horror movies from the 1920s. While that's typical of Tim Burton films, especially his darker ones, it just doesn't fit in this whimsical story.
The scenery, which is impressive at times, is rather Tim Burton-y. It looks as though Burton pulled it out of German impressionism films - a style common in early horror movies from the 1920s. While that's typical of Tim Burton films, especially his darker ones, it just doesn't fit in this whimsical story.
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| Freddie Highmore as Charlie Bucket. |
To give the film credit, its portrayal of Mike Teavee is better than the original.
The 1971 Mike Teavee (Paris Themmen) seems to be the second-best child after Charlie Bucket. He's no precious angel and does break a rule here and there. His only downfall lies in the hours of television he watches. But out of all the children, nothing much stands out about Mike other than his love of television, and that he's the kid who's zapped through Wonka's television camera and broken into millions of little pieces that are reassembled on a TV screen. Themmen isn't bad in the role.
He doesn't strike me as a bratty child like the others. He just watches too much TV, and the blame for that, of course, is with his parents.
"What do you get from a glut of T.V.? A pain in the neck and an I.Q. of three. Why don't you try simply reading a book. Or could you just not bear to look? You'll get no commercials," the Oompa Loompa's sang in the '71 movie. It's still a valuable lesson.
Tim Burton's Mike (Jordan Fry) is updated as he plays too many video games as opposed to watching too much TV.
He's rude and sarcastic, and simply fills in his space among the children much more than before. Having spent so many hours in front of his video games, this Mike isn't impressed by anything he sees in the factory. I think this characteristic is more subtle in Themmen's portrayal.
Towards the end of the movie, when he's the only child left with Charlie, he boards the glass elevator with Wonka, which goes to any and every spot in the factory.
Less than thrilled with the awe-inspiring experience, he blurts out, "Why is everything here completely pointless?"
Fry plays him as a kid you want to dislike.
Incidentally, Charlie's response to this question is the only thing Wonka seems to take an interest in as far as Charlie is concerned.
"Candy doesn't have to have a point. That's why it's candy," Charlie says.It's a statement as dumb as Depp's Wonka. It sounds deep, but is just meaningless.
Candy has a point as a means of enjoyment, as a gift of gratitude, as an expression of love, and as a memorial to childhood.
And this is the statement that makes Wonka finally notice Charlie? Stupid!
The songs in the original are still remembered. They're household songs at this point.
While I don't remember any of the songs in the new movie, even with the understanding they're pulled straight from Dahl's book, I appreciate how composer Danny Elfman, whose music is heard in a lot of Burton's films (Pee Wee's Big Adventure, Beetlejuice, Batman, Edward Scissorhands and The Nightmare Before Christmas to name a few) made the song segments unique.
The Oompa Loompa's sing each song in a style unique to a decade. One song is performed in a 1960s hippy style. Another song is performed in the style of a 1980s heavy metal hair band.
That's pretty clever.
While I don't remember any of the songs in the new movie, even with the understanding they're pulled straight from Dahl's book, I appreciate how composer Danny Elfman, whose music is heard in a lot of Burton's films (Pee Wee's Big Adventure, Beetlejuice, Batman, Edward Scissorhands and The Nightmare Before Christmas to name a few) made the song segments unique.
The Oompa Loompa's sing each song in a style unique to a decade. One song is performed in a 1960s hippy style. Another song is performed in the style of a 1980s heavy metal hair band.
That's pretty clever.
And while the Oompa Loompa's from the 1971 are much more imaginative and memorable, actor Deep Roy deserves applause for portraying each individual Oompa Loompa in Burton's film.
And finally, the look of Wonka's Everlasting Gobstopper actually looks like candy in the new film. They look like enticing sugary jawbreakers. Gobstoppers in the original look like painful instruments of torture if a child put one in their mouth. I often pictured its tips protruding from a kid's neck if they happened to accidentally swallow one.
And finally, the look of Wonka's Everlasting Gobstopper actually looks like candy in the new film. They look like enticing sugary jawbreakers. Gobstoppers in the original look like painful instruments of torture if a child put one in their mouth. I often pictured its tips protruding from a kid's neck if they happened to accidentally swallow one.
I respect and appreciate that the remake is trying to be its own film, different from the first. That's especially true as the movie explores Wonka's history as far back as his childhood, and his relationship with his father.
In a 2005 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Burton said the original film is "sappy."
Well, that's hilarious considering his version of Charlie Bucket is sappier than Charlie from the original.
What's also funny is that Burton's film ends up being about Wonka in the end, but Charlie's name is in the title. Stuart's film is about Charlie, but Wonka's name is in the title.
The remake could have certainly been a good movie. Tim Burton obviously has a different image for Willy Wonka. Bad decisions got in the way to pull it off well. The wrong people got their hands on the material, told a story that's as muddy as melted chocolate, with performances that are less than appetizing.
The message, though simple, gets through clearly in the original. Be a good child and obey the rules. Ok, fine.
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| Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory |
In the new movie, I really don't know what the message is. Should we have the simplicity of a child, and the mind of an adult? And as the movie really ends up being about Wonka, is the message for adults, or for kids?
While I don't have a problem with movie remakes, I think Gene Wilder's comments, quoted in a 2013 Entertainment Weekly article sums up the overall experience of Burton's movie.
“It’s just some people sitting around thinking, ‘How can we make some more money?’ Why else would you remake Willy Wonka? I don’t see the point of going back and doing it all over again.”Yes, in this case, they had it right the first time.
