IRREVERENT Magazine - Movie Reviews

There is no mistaking Tim Burton's rendition of Roald Dahl's book for the Gene Wilder vehicle of the early 1970s. The Oompah-Loompahs have rhythm, the narrative is cohesive, and Wonka (Johnny Depp) is just plain chocolate-covered crazy. And all three are great reasons to see it.

The story is familiar to movie buffs and Dahl fans alike: a poor boy, against all odds finds a coveted "Wonka Golden Ticket," which wins him a seat alongside an assortment of bad mannered caricatures for a tour of Wonka's mysterious "chocolate factory." Add to this a bevy of beloved Burton trademarks -- over-the-top characters, oddly gothic machinery, improbable sets -- and you've almost got the setting for a neo-classic. But you're still missing Willy.

To say that Depp plays the reclusive candyman as an "eccentric" does almost nothing to communicate the performance. Take equal parts eerie, enigmatic, and childlike -- add a healthy dose of Michael Jackson-like creepiness -- and you'll just about imagine Depp's conception of Wonka. Watching his scenes is very much like watching a window washer alongside a large skyscraper in a hurricane like wind. You want to look away, certain he's going to fall to his death, but you can't. You're mesmerized, you can't take your eyes off him for fear you're going to miss something. And you can't.

Gone too are the song and dance numbers that riddled the 1971 classic, as well as the reknown supporting cast, although this time does include notables such as Helena Bonham Carter and Christopher Lee. This time -- although punctuated with comically hip Oompah-Loompa (Deep Roy) moral riffs -- it's just straight up storytelling.