 Charlie
and the Chocolate Factory
 2
Starring:
Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore, Deep Roy, Noah Taylor, Helena Bonham Carter, Jordan
Fry, AnnaSophia Robb, Julia Winter, Philip Wiegratz, Missi Pyle and David Kelly
Directed
by: Tim Burton
Music by: Danny
Elfman Soundtrack review & purchase portal->
Play
a song from Charlie NOW (click silly click) Bluntly
speaking? Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a mind-blowing, uber-crunchy
nutty treat - a literal cornucopia of imagination sparkling between, and dancing
about, the touching tale, whipped up and frothy as only Mr. Tim Burton (and his
usual suspects behind & in the scenes) could have created. Charlie and
the Chocolate Factory is a Wonkaliscious treat of grand eye-popping proportions
kids! Story
goes…Willy Wonka (Johnny Depp), who had to close his factory to all due to
chocolate-style espionage over fifteen years ago, has decided to grant five lucky
children (and their escorts) a tour of his super-secret factory. Five
golden tickets are set forth across the world. It's melee for the youngin' - each
hoping to find that golden ticket! Charlie
Bucket (Freddie Highmore), a poor child, who is rich in his family's love, is
the last to find a golden ticket within a Wonka Whipple Scrumptious Fudgemallow
Delight. (<- tears may well up here as Freddy Highmore exudes the feeling of
found happiness so very well). The
day arrives and the lucky children - each more greedy and brattier than the other
(excluding dear Charlie) arrive at the factory gates. Let the hoopla begin! After
a hilarious introduction to Mr. Wonka, the small group head into the gigantic
cavernous factory. They
quickly learn, Wonka's not what you'd call a "people person." He even
has cue cards he refers to when one of his guests confuses him with their prying
questions (hilarious). Let's call him an eccentric and scuttle forward... Wonka
guides them through his fairyland of cholateering. The edible room with the river
of chocolate - complete with a waterfall (natch), the invention room - where the
Everlasting Gobbstopper is being developed along with the dinner gum…on to
the trained squirrel area; Wonka discovered a squirrel can un-nut a nut nearly
completely, and practically every time! Efficient and bizarre - that's Wonka...we
also head into the future, that streams past virtual-reality, into tangible T.V.
in Wonka's T.V. teleportation room...it's all terribly grand! But
most grand of all, we meet, and learn about the history of, the multitalented
Oompa-Loompas! ( <-be still my creativity-loving heart at the cleverness behind
their, and Wonka's, backstories - thank you screenwriter John Austin, Mr. Burton,
and Danny Elfman…) When
only Charlie is left with Wonka, after a series of misadventures 86 the other
more aggressive four spawn, er, children, Wonka's greatest parlor trick has been
saved for Charlie! But we will learn, it's really Charlie who is about to give
Mr. Wonka the greatest gift of all…(sniff - snort). Not
that I ever feared Mr. Tim Burton and his stratospheric mind (along with a few
of his closest friends…) could not have assembled the perfect cast (which
he did), or create Wonka's world as Roald Dahl had intended originally (which
they did), or that the added bits of Wonka's back story wouldn't delight (which
it did), I just was up to my snozgaggle in repugnant remakes and cash-in copies
- here, however, my gosh darn I stand corrected, and in awe dear readers. I have
begun deconstructing my soapbox, as I am firmly, obliviously, a hypocrite. The
cast assembled for this classic reinvents and brings to vivid life all the characters
many of us already loved. Tim Burton was certainly the man-for-the-job (he'd already
superbly addressed Dahl's "James and the Giant Peach" after all). And
Burton's exquisite eye for fancy. with winks of macabre, work wonderfully with
Dahl's delicious dialog, and Wonka's whole nearly mad beneath a hat persona. The
production design by Alex McDowell, in which he uses pretty-much real sets with
sprinkles of CG, and the pristine humor-accented costuming by Gabriella Pescucci
only emphasize the wondrous work. Danny Elfman, composer extraordinaire, whips
up the music, stitching the frames stupendously (score
reviewed here). The nasty wee ones, the hellions set amuck among the sweets,
each excel; Mike Teavee (Jordan Fry ala pass-the-ortho-novum), Veruca Salt (Julia
Winter), Violet Beauregarde (AnnaSophia Robb) and of course der schwineschnitzelkind
Augustus Gloop (Philip Wiegratz - who gets the best song in my humble all-knowing
opinion). They are brilliantly perfectly putrid. And Deep Roy, in an additional
stroke of smarty-cakes, is CGI'd into every Oompa-Loompa we see cavorting about
- very well done indeed. But,
naturally Charlie (Highmore) and Willy Wonka
(Depp) steal the show. Freddy is so cute-you-could-just-breed-if-you'd-have-one-of-him;
such a tremendous talent in a lad's frame. And Johnny Depp molds Wonka into a
bar of man, who is carrying a basket of phobias beneath a well-groomed (albeit
a tad askew with his super-mod bob-cut) façade and a way of speaking that's
so-out it's-funny. "Willy" has an innocent yet razor-sharp wit,
with a heaping helping of spastic shenanigans, that keep you giggling all the
way through this world of wonder. Once again, the material is purrfectly suited
to the actor - Depp makes it look so easy…being strange, yet likable, quirky
yet cute. Whether
you do or don't know the story, I really can't express strongly enough that you
must run ala Veruca to the theater to see this (IMAX preferred for a pure
Burton fix). If you are a Wonkaphile, rest assured Mr. Dahl is up in the heavens
elbowing Tolkien that he can stop bragging about the grandeur of Peter Jackson's
portrayal of his tales on celluloid, and winking to C.S. Lewis that he hopes his
'Narnia' fares as well in its studio's hands. Gene I love ya - always will - but
this version of Wonka is truly a delectable scrumpdelicious rendition of
perfection. The medium has grown into a land where they now have the visual abilty
to reflect Dahl's galaxy of imagination a smidge more fancy-ish. Enjoy Snack
recommendation: Wonka Cakes - available now at markets everywhere! They're
extra yummy - trust me.
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