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CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
Deluxe Edition
Review by Gordon Justesen
Stars: Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore, David Kelly, Helena Bonham Carter,
Noah Taylor, Missi Pyle, James Fox, Deep Roy, Christopher Lee
Director: Tim Burton
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX, French Dolby Digital 5.1 EX, Spanish Dolby Digital
5.1 EX
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Studio: Warner Bros.
Features: See Review
Length: 116 Minutes
Release Date: November 8, 2005
“Where
does that pipe go?”
“That
pipe happens to go to the room where I make the most delicious kind of
strawberry-flavored chocolate-coated fudge.”
“Then
he will be turned into strawberry-flavored chocolate-coated fudge? They'll be
selling him by the pound all over the world?”
“No,
I wouldn't allow it. The taste would be terrible. Can you imagine
Augustus-flavored chocolate-coated Gloop? Eww. No one would buy it.”
Film
***
I don’t think
there’s a kid alive who hasn’t grown up with 1971’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Lord knows I saw it many
times in my years of youth. To many, it remains a cherished classic, but the
unbeatable pairing of director Tim Burton and actor Johnny Depp have succeeded
in making perhaps the truest screen version of Roald Dahl’s classic story,
appropriately renamed Charlie and the
Chocolate Factory.
Much has been said
about Depp’s ultra eccentric take on the role that Gene Wilder made famous in
the original movie. About every review commented on Depp’s supposed channeling
of Michael Jackson. Whether he was going for the MJ touch or not, the strange
performance definitely fits in with Burton’s approach to the material, and
therefore is something of a success.
The central story
is the same. It involves young Charlie Bucket (Freddie Highmore, of Finding
Neverland), a high-spirited kid despite living in underprivileged
circumstances. As a worldwide contest involving the finding of five golden
tickets in Wonka Bars gets underway, even Charlie knows that the possibility of
retrieving one is simply one in a million. After all, his family can only afford
to give him one candy bar a year for his birthday.
But then the
unthinkable happens. With four golden tickets already discovered, Charlie manages
to obtain the fifth and final ticket that will allow him to take tour of the
most successful factory in the world. Charlie will be accompanied by his wily
Grandpa Joe (David Kelly), who used to work in the factory. When he worked at
the factory, times were happier, until all the employees were laid off for
reasons unexplained.
Before long,
Charlie is at the gates of Wonka’s factory awaiting the precious tour. And
everybody remembers the other mongrels...I mean, children, who also won the prize.
There’s Augustus Gloop (Philip Wiegratz), the biggest fan of Wonka Bars
there is; Veruca Salt (Julia Winter) the snottiest child that ever existed who
demands everything out her sucker father (James Fox); Violet Beauregarde (AnnaSophia
Robb), who deems herself the best at everything; and finally, Mike Teavee (Jordan
Fry), whose last name should indicate his primary obsession.
Now, if you thought
that the bratty children came across surprising booby traps in the original,
just wait till you see how they're dealt with in the new version. Augustus falls
into a river of chocolate and sucked up a pipe. Veruca crosses paths with a clan
of nutty squirrels. Mike becomes tempted to travel into a television set, and
Violet gets quite a colorful makeover which you’ll have to see for yourself.
With Burton at the
helm, you simply know what to expect in terms of production design. This is by
far one of the director’s most glorious looking films to date. Once we’re
inside the factory, we’re inside a whole new world, the likes of which only
Burton’s production team can make possible. When the doors open, each frame is
alive with color and wonderful detail.
Another popular
element retooled for this version are the Oompa Loompas, who are all played by
the same actor (Deep Roy). Watching the movie, I felt that Mr. Roy must be the
most exhausted performer for a single movie. Each scene where one of the
children fall into a trap is followed by terrifically over-the-top music number
courtesy of the Oompas themselves.
And this version's
biggest strength is the addition of a back story for Willy Wonka. While the
original movie had its moments, you never really learned too much about the
candy man himself. The new version touches up quite nicely by explaining why and
how Wonka became the man he is. And the final scene is indeed most touching.
There’s no
question that Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory is a definite improvement over the original movie. Without Tim
Burton, this new take could simply have not been possible. His vision mixed with
Johnny Depp’s perfect eccentric performance make this a superb piece of
entertainment.
Video
****
Since it carries one of the most outstanding production designs you will ever see, this
movie deserves to be seen on DVD. We’ve had many fantastic looking discs this
year, but I certainly think that this Warner release will be earning high points
for video quality at this year’s DMC Awards. The anamorphic picture is
everything one could ask for in a presentation. Image quality is consistent,
while colors and image detail take the performance to a whole new level. You
feel like you’re actually there in the factory. Amazing job all the way
through!
Audio
****
The 5.1 EX mix
brings this adventure to life in such a grand way, making it a strong match for
the video quality. With such a monumental production design at hand, Tim Burton
and his team made sure to make sound a key element. The sound mix does this
element absolute justice. From opening scene, the sound factor is at a pure
high, but once we enter the factory, it gets even better. Each set piece brings
with it its own distinct sounding significance. Those music numbers sound
fantastic too. High marks all around.
Features
****
You’d be doing
yourself a favor by choosing this two disc Deluxe Edition over the single disc
release, since there’s clearly more to go around. Disc One includes the
theatrical trailer.
Disc Two includes a
handful of tasty goodies. Of course, I mean featurettes, and they all do a
fantastic job of illustrating what went into making the more fascinating
features of the movie. There’s “Becoming
Oompa-Loompa”, which shows how one actor was turned into hundreds of
Oopma-Loompas! “Attack Of The
Squirrels”, which looks at the hilarious squirrel sequence, “The
Fantastic Mr. Dahl” takes a look at the real Roald Dahl, “Oompa-Loompa
Dance” looks into the musical numbers. There are also two interactive games;
The Inventing Machine and Search For The Golden Ticket: “Can You Find
The Golden Ticket?”.
Summary: