Directed by:
Tim BurtonScreenplay:
John AugustCinematography:
Philippe RousselotComposer:
Danny ElfmanCast:
Freddie Highmore, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, James Fox, David Kelly, Christopher Lee, Deep Roy, Jordan Fry, Phillip Wiegratz, Missi Pyle, Noah Taylor (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
Most nights in the Bucket home, dinner is a watered-down bowl of cabbage soup, which young Charlie gladly shares with his mother and father and both pairs of grandparents. Every night, the last thing Charlie sees from his window is Willy Wonka's great factory, and he drifts off to sleep dreaming about what might be inside. For nearly fifteen years, no one has seen a single worker going in or coming out of the factory, or caught a glimpse of Wonka himself, yet, great quantities of chocolate are still being made and shipped all over the world. One day Willy Wonka makes a momentous announcement. He will open his famous factory and reveal "all of its secrets and magic" to five lucky children who find golden tickets hidden inside five randomly selected Wonka chocolate bars. Nothing would make Charlie's family happier than to see him win but the odds are very much against him as they can only afford to buy one chocolate bar a year, for his birthday. One by one, news breaks around the world about the children finding golden tickets and Charlie's hope grows dimmer. But then, something wonderful happens. Charlie finds some money on the snowy street and takes it to the nearest store for a Wonka Whipple-Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delight. There, under the wrapper is a flash of gold. It's the last ticket. Charlie is going to the factory! The family decides that Grandpa Joe, who used to work in the factory, should be the one to accompany Charlie on this adventure. Once inside, Charlie is dazzled by one amazing sight after another. Wondrous gleaming contraptions of Wonka's own invention churn, pop, and whistle, crews of merry Oompa-Loompas mine mountains of fudge beside a frothy chocolate waterfall, a hundred trained squirrels on a hundred tiny stools shell nuts for chocolate bars, and Wonka himself pilots an impossible glass elevator that rockets every which way you can think of through the fantastic factory. Almost as intriguing as his fanciful inventions is Willy Wonka. He thinks about nothing but candy--except, every once in a while, when he seems to be thinking about something that happened long ago, that he can't quite talk about. Meanwhile, the other children prove to be a rotten bunch, and one by one, their greedy personalities lead them into all kinds of trouble that force them off the tour. When only Charlie is left, Willie Wonka reveals the final secret, the absolute grandest prize of all: the keys to the factory itself. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Videos (2)
Reviews (9)
Tim Burton's version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (I'm ashamed to admit I haven't seen the 1971 film yet) is quite possibly the best adaptation of Roald Dahl's work. Burton's film, as is his way, is brimming with gorgeous (albeit at times very digital) visuals and beautiful sets. The driving force behind the whole story is Johnny Depp, who’s always good in the role of quirky oddballs, he manages to portray the goofy chocolate factory owner to perfection. I've never found myself liking Freddie Highmore, and even after many screening, that hasn't changed. The other actors are all well suited to their roles, even if they didn't have as much space – I was most impressed with Christopher Lee and the quartet of grandparents. Anyone who doesn't like Burton's style will probably suffer with Charlie, but I enjoyed this sweet excursion between the Oompa-Loompas, the squirrels and the whipped cream immensely. PS: “Everything in this room is eatable, even *I'm* eatable! But that is called ‘cannibalism’, my dear children, and is in fact frowned upon in most societies.”
()
Tim Burton made me very happy this time. The magic of the film lies solely in the stylisation and arrangement of each scene, and it doesn’t deserve to be part of the elite just because it’s divinely scored and looks beautiful, but because of its unadulterated joy of storytelling and visual experimentation simply cannot be resisted. Who else could build such a simple and sentimental story in such an engaging and creative way? Maybe only Jára Cimrman. 80%
()
Tim Burton ignores the darkness and goes far beyond the kitsch of opulent color to literally create a breathtaking world made from the sweetest ingredients. He does a great job with the exaggeration, and such an overly pathetic story about family cohesion is in fact not awkward, but rather endearing. Johnny Depp's eccentric acting is just as entertaining as the little Oompa-Loompas, whose songs may be a bit self-indulgent, but what isn't in this film? Burton exaggerated everything so beautifully that I ate it up completely. And I very much enjoyed it.
()
Where all sweet wishes come true, where a group of little creatures sings mocking songs about your failed candy bars, where the word "family" is a small charm... There awaits a magically mysterious master of sweets who will find you strange no matter how hard you try. But the visit is worth it. So be glad you don't have to search for any coupons and come take a ride on that waterfall too.
()
A breathtaking visual experience. The atmosphere of the entire film is pleasantly "sweet" and the moral messages are not surprisingly intrusive; on the contrary, they need not be restricted to the kids. :) For Burton, for Depp, for Elfman, for the feast for the eyes, and for some really hilarious jokes, 5 stars.
()
Ads