CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY

By BRIAN THOMAS     January 24, 2006

Not long ago, a parent called me to ask my advice. "I have three children home from school with colds! What movie can I show them to keep them busy for a couple hours?"

A few days later I got another call. "Dude, we scored some truly awesome stuff! Man, can you tell us of any great flicks to watch?"

Well, of course the perfect answer is CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. Roald Dahl wrote a lot of great stories in different genres, but by far his greatest fame came from his childrens' books. His secret was that instead of emulating other stories, he simply concentrated on what would be entertaining to the child or more specifically, to risk a horrid cliché, he appealed to the child in every reader. One doesn't need to be a child to enjoy THE WITCHES or MATHILDA, but being a child can help, while being an adult is no deficit. There's a sharp imagination to his work that recognizes that children don't see themselves as "children". They're only inexperienced adults, really. Much like Dahl, Tim Burton always seems to have a bit of genuine child-like spirit even in his more "adult" works, so he was a natural fit for this film adaptation.

CHARLIE (Freddie Highmore) is a bright and moral young boy who is very loyal to his family, despite the fact that they're extremely poor. The center of attention in his modest town is Willy Wonka's world famous chocolate factory, even though no one has entered or left the grounds in many years. When a contest is announced in which the prize is a tour of Wonka's factory, like every other child in the world, Charlie Bucket dreams of finding a golden ticket in a Wonka chocolate bar to win the prize. However, there are only five golden tickets hidden inside candy wrappers somewhere in the world, and since Charlie's chances seem slim to none, he tries to put it out of his mind.

After the last hope of a golden ticket is gone, Charlie finds a some money in the street and decides to sate his gnawing hunger by buying himself a treat and is shocked to discover a golden ticket inside! For me, this was always one of the most memorable scenes in the book. Dahl perfectly captured the emptiness inside Charlie, the excitement of finding free money, his immediate gratification while gobbling down the chocolate, his guilt from committing such a rare selfish act, and finally his wide-eyed amazement that his sin earns him no punishment, but instead the greatest of rewards. Children are drilled with a proper code of karmic conduct, and this revelation that the system can and very often does break down is a bittersweet moment in every human life. Burton, Highmore and company miss the mark here, unable to convey these complicated emotions, but it's one of the film's few outright failures.

Just about everywhere else, they strike gold, especially in the creation of the inner workings of Wonka's factory, where the children and their guardians witness wonders (and occasional horrors) beyond their wildest imaginings. It's difficult to avoid comparing this version with the 1971 adaptation WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, but it's a wonder that that musical version is so fondly remembered. It had a good song or two, and Gene Wilder did a good job of adding some dimension to the strange cipher Wonka, but the entire production looks very cheap and artificial. Younger audiences are accustomed to seeing impossible wonders in movies these days, but Burton's team ekes a great deal from their practical and digital effects to create some awesome and clever sights.

Among these are Wonka's work force, the army of little Ooompa Loompas, all of which are played by little person Deep Roy. The '70s edition was pretty much a traditional musical, with the only musical area of Dahl's book the Oompa Loompa chants that commented on the fate of each naughty child rendered with the same dull song. Burton hands off these ditties to his favorite composer Danny Elfman, who creates delightfully hip musical numbers for them. Each one takes on a different range of styles, from Funkadelic to Abba, and they're all very catchy.

The most controversial part of the film is in Johnny Depp's portrayal of Wonka. Who or what Wonka is supposed to be is an item of great discussion among fans. Many point to Depp's characterization as a parody of Michael Jackson, and while that certainly seems like a partial inspiration, it's also just a piece of the puzzle. If anything, they go too far in trying to explain Wonka's background and motivations, distracting from the main story of Charlie's journey. Depp's act is a hoot, but the character has always been a mystery and shouldn't be examined too closely.

The disc delivers the main feature's brilliant colors and robust sound faithfully on a single disc edition, but is also available in a deluxe 2-disc edition. The second disc includes five worthwhile Making-Of documentary featurettes, plus two more covering the creation of some of the more outstanding special effects (trained squirrels!), and another about Dahl. Wisely kept on a separate menu tree is a series of interactive games which may delight kids.

Copyright © 2006 Brian Thomas, author of the massive book VideoHound's DRAGON: ASIAN ACTION & CULT FLICKS.
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