Charlie And The Chocolate Factory
Director: Tim Burton
(PG, 115 min.)
Cast: Johnny Depp, Freddie
Highmore, David Kelly
Tim Burton has a style. From gothic black and white to wild splashes of primary colours, you can tell his unmistakable signature on all his movies.
Pee-wee Herman, BeetleJuice, Edward Scissorhands, Nightmare before Christmas, Tim's resume reads like a who's who of dark, weird, loner movies. So it was with delight I heard he would be responsible for recreating the insanity that ensues in Roald Dahl's beloved novel Charlie And The Chocolate Factory. The story is a classic - all about bratty children and adults getting their just desserts. Then, there's the casting of Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka. Peanut Butter and Chocolate, Sid and Nancy, Mountain and Dew, there are some combos that were just meant to be together. Tim and Johnny are just such a combo. However Mr. Depp has big shoes to fill as the 1971 stoner classic version of this book had Gene Wilder cast as a Wonka who was an innocent chap that you could sense loved both children and ironic punishments. In this version, however, we have Depp portraying a Wonka who views children as peculiar things best left at a distance. In fact several times during the film you get the distinct feeling that Wonka's tight lipped grin is holding back an insane rage that will only end when he snaps and violently kills them all. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory is by far the best movie to come out this summer and definitely a big screen must-see.
