|
By
WADE GOSSETT
Johnny Depp stars as the
eccentric genius confectioner Willy Wonka, in what
seems like a remake of the 1971 version of Roald
Dahl's book. However, instead of a remake it's
more of a re-imagining, and the change in the
title is a giveaway: Dahl hated the '71 version,
and that's why it was titled "Willy Wonka & the
Chocolate Factory," signaling a departure from the
book. Consequently, those who grew up with the
older film and remember it as the definitive
version, probably never read the book. They should
keep an open mind with this "Charlie."
Confectioner extraordinaire Wonka, who has been
living a reclusive life within the walls of his
factory for many years, opens the doors for five
children that have found a golden ticket in one of
his candy bars. At the end of the day one of the
children will be selected to win a very special
prize. The rest of the film pits one poor but good
kid against several privileged and spoiled brats
and you can guess who will inherit Wonka's world.
An uncanny resemblance between Depp's androgynous
look and alleged pederast Michael Jackson's,
is too creepy to ignore. Does it mean anything?
Did director Tim Burton have an agenda, something
he's trying to tell us about childhood, never
growing up, sexual perversion? I have no clue.
Eventually, if there is a message is about
how obsessive dental hygiene can screw you up for
life. Seriously.
Burton, especially when he makes a movie
with Depp, is expected to create a dystopia. Not
here. Sure, there are dystopian elements, but
they're mostly architectural. The story itself is
happier than what I expected from Burton, albeit
still irreverent. The sets, and even the songs,
are thoroughly enjoyable and consistently
fascinating.
The two-disc edition is chockfull of
goodies: The featurettes "Attack of the
Squirrels," "Making the Mix" and "Becoming
Oompa-Loompa" concentrate on filming, production
design and special effects, and "The Fantastic Mr.
Dahl" is a 17-minute biography of Dahl that
includes interviews with family and friends.
Activities include a dance game and "Search for
the Golden Ticket," which is a puzzle.
It all makes for a yummy package. |
