Scrumdillyicious

Take the nearest Glass Elevator to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Now.
I’m astounded by this film — I was so worried about the reviews I’d read, but this film delivers such a wonderful experience!
First off, Freddie Highmore. This kid is destined for great things. A simple look on his face made my eyes well up with tears, and the first segment of the film, before the factory gates even open, is a tour de force of emotion.
Johnny Depp? Not bad. I think that at first, this truly bizarre character is such a departure from what you’d expect from him that it’s jarring. But once you get past the fact that it’s Johnny Depp, you start to sympathize with Willy Wonka.
The look of this film is gorgeous, from sets to effects. And Deep Roy, who plays ALL the Oopma Loompas, gets more screen time cumulatively than anyone else… luckily, his look is so varied and amusing that it’s not annoying. The songs are fun and witty, and written by Roald Dahl himself!
In fact, this movie is far more faithful to the book than the Gene Wilder film, but it still wanders off into new areas. It pays appropriate homage to the Gene Wilder original, without denigrating it. It still stands as a wonderful film.
I walked out of the theatre and right into the music store to buy the soundtrack, which I’m listening to now. The moralistic songs sung by the Oompa Loompas after each child meets his or her fate are so much more lush than the ones in the previous film; they are stand-along songs in their own right.
I was expecting a Tim Burton film — you know, the kind that’s dark and filled with black humor, with a certain kind of art direction. This was not like his other films in that regard. It had a style all it’s own.
There weren’t too many scary parts, but I must admit that the scene where Veruca Salt meets her fate was a little disturbing — perhaps I just have a squirrel phobia.