Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Tim Burton)
Strangely after seeing Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory I had no urge to eat candy or chocolate. If I watch a movie where people are smoking, I of course want a smoke. I did yearn for a glass elevator but my sweet tooth stayed dormant.
With that said Willy Wonka is still a good movie. What’s not to like? Tim Burton’s vision is grandiose, bright and oh so his style. Composer Danny Elfman’s approach is fresh and witty as is Johnny Depps performance as Willy Wonka.
It is not an easy task to satisfy those like myself who still love the 1971 version. There are songs missing and Gene Wilder is tough act to follow yet the Burton version holds its own.
The movie made in 1971 had a darker edge than this one. I am thinking of the boat ride through the tunnel and how my heart would beat faster as Wilder sang and the tarantula crept along the wall. In the new version, there is no song and the tunnel is bright as could be, it is far from being anything scary.
People were predicting that Burton would make his version of the Roald Dahl classic ‘too strange’ or ‘overly weird’ but it ended up that his version made the older version seem darker and skewed- things he is been accused of. It is still otherworldly and fantastic- perfect to see on a hallucinogenic, if you’re in to that sort of thing- but gone is the apprehension. This is good thing if you don’t want bad trip and not have a theater of crying kids.
I still prefer popcorn to lollipops but Charlie and Chocolate Factory is still worth a dip.
