charlie

THE FLICK: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a very good film. Keep that in mind as I shed some crocodile tears over the fact that it could have been an absolute masterpiece had director Tim Burton gotten his hands on the material when he was in his prime. As it stands now, it’s his best work since the first half of Sleepy Hollow and equal to the 70’s Gene Wilder version in almost every way (except for the Danny Elfman-composed “Oompa Loompa” songs, which awkwardly stop the action and sound like Oingo Boingo B-sides). Meanwhile, Johnny Depp continues to prove that if a script calls for an endearing freak as the main character, he’s the man to call. Purportedly sticking much closer to the book (I could pretend that I’m familiar with Roald Dahl’s work, but I’d rather not be turned into a blueberry), this version opens in storybook fashion with Charlie and his poverty-stricken but close-knit extended family struggling to eak out a living. Charlie dreams of finding one of Willie Wonka’s “golden tickets,” which invite five lucky children to tour the famous chocolatier’s factory. And when, against all odds, he does, the adventure proper begins. The core of the 70’s film remains intact, sometimes line for line. Augustus still gets sucked into the chocolate vacuum, Violet is still rolled off to the juicer, Mike Teavee, however, is now more of a violent video-game junkie, and Veruca Salt is whisked off by an herd of squirrels (one of the highlights of the film!). Their roles and childhood foibles are just as appropriate today, even if their punishments don’t seem quite so shocking. But set against Charlie’s almost angelic propensity for good behavior and self-sacrifice who wouldn’t look bad?! It’s the character of Willie Wonka himself that generated the most interest, controversy and (eventually) praise. Depp’s performance is significantly quirkier than Gene Wilder’s, complete with doll-like hair and complexion, oversized sunglasses and a deathly fear of parents and physical contact in general. The comparison to Michael Jackson (which many claimed Depp used as a starting point) works in the sense that this version of Wonka is a man who has lived a completely insular life for 15 years. He cannot relate to anyone save his army of Oompa Loompas, relying on cue cards to carry him through the most rudimentary conversation. The addition of a backstory (with Christopher Lee as his dictatorial dentist father) creates a character arc that the original film never had. Still, Wilder brought a sense of menace that Depp isn’t asked to provide here. But it’s the surface level brilliance that most audiences will recall most vividly after watching the film. And here’s where Burton is really in his element, shaping the candy-coated interior of Wonka’s factory with some of the most mouthwatering effects to hit the screen in years. It’s inventive and showy but always at the service of the story. The new Charlie retains all the warmth and charm of the previous film and even improves upon it in several areas. But it does suffer from Burton’s maturity as a “studio” director. It lacks the sense of danger of his early films (Beetlejuice, even Pee Wee), forgetting that kids love to be scared just as much as they love to laugh. I suspect Dahl’s novel is still the definitive Charlie experience, but Burton, himself a descendent of Wonka’s bizarre showman, comes very close to ringing the bell. THE FEATURES: At first glance, it may seem that Warner’s two-disc deluxe edition is a bit skimpy on the extras. And, yes, it’s true there’s no 2-hour documentary, but what is included is exceedingly well produced and introduced with Oompa Loompa vignettes made specifically for the DVD. Attack of the Squirrels (10 min) breaks down the most entertaining sequence of the film – from the squirrel wrangler to the CGI enhancements. Fantastic Mr. Dahl is a very classy 15-minute tribute to the author from his neighbors, friends and family. Becoming Ooompa Loompa details the myriad of training programs actor Deep Roy had to endure to play Wonka’s army of miniature assistants. Making the Mix serves as the traditional behind-the-scenes doc, broken into several segments that cover the genesis of the project, casting, music, production design, and visual effects. In all, there’s about 45-minutes worth of stuff. That’s for the grown ups. For the kids there’s fhree point-and-click games – The Bad Nut, The Inventing Machine, Search for the Golden Ticket – and a Oompa Loompa Dance “How To” that teaches you the steps to two of the film’s songs. DVD-ROM features are also available for PC users.