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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, adapted by Ronald Dahl’s book of the same title, follows the story of an impoverished Charlie, played by the adorable Freddie Highmore (Finding Neverland), as he stumbles upon the last of five golden tickets that offer entry into the world renowned chocolate factory of Willy Wonka (Johnny Depp). Joined by his Grandpa Joe (David Kelly), Charlie and four other children are guided through Willy Wonka’s factory, and after all the other children are removed due to their own grievous shortcomings, Charlie is named the soul heir to Mr. Wonka’s delicious empire.

The film excels in that Mr. Burton, true to form, creates a very specific, utterly imaginative world. The factory is like nothing ever seen—and it is easy to become engrossed and awed as the factory is unveiled before our eyes. The individual performances were impressive: Johnny Depp played a downright bizarre, though nonetheless convincing, Willy Wonka, despite the fact Freddie Highmore simply stole the show as Charlie.

Ultimately, however, the film suffers from a fit of misplaced focus. Though initially set up as a story about Charlie, as soon as Willy Wonka is introduced, Charlie takes a backseat. There was very little effort by Mr. Burton and screen writer, John August, to establish the relationship between Mr. Wonka and Charlie as the eventual focal point of the film. As it was, the attempts were quickly abandoned—usually in the form of Mr. Depp saying something weird and making a funny face.

The inconsistency of focus is largely due to the fact that the film was over-explained. Though it was interesting to see the back stories of Willy Wonka, his conflict with his father (Christopher Lee), and how he came to find the endearing Oompa Loompas (all played by Deep Roy), it hardly, if at all, concerned the story unfolding in the present of the film.

As does happen with Tim Burton's films from time to time, though there was an abundance of style, there was little substance to show for it.

Written by: Joe Haupt

Reviewers Rating: 6
Reader's Rating: 8.29
Reader's Votes: 7

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