In a word, this movie is weird. And though director Tim Burton performs his usual magic of vivid colors and intricate details, I couldn’t get past the fact that the whole movie was bizarre. This is not to say that the movie shouldn’t have been a little weird. Roald Dahl’s original children’s novel was strange to say the least and not a little morbid. But that strangeness became a hang-up for me rather than an imaginative thematic element. The hair motif elements were particularly peculiar, especially Johnny Depp’s too-neat coif and quotes from the musical Hair. But I have never been a big fan of Depp, and I don’t see what the fuss is about in most of his roles, Pirates of the Caribbean excepted. The other casting decisions were very good, however. Freddie Highmore was a very good Charlie, and Deep Roy’s role as every single Oompa Loompa was somewhat entertaining. But my favorite casting piece was the role of Grandpa Joe, played by David Kelly, whom I have adored ever since his memorable escapades on a motorcycle in Waking Ned Divine.
Perhaps the worst part about the movie, however, was its fabrication of a back-story and motivation for Willy Wonka himself. As if anyone needed some sort of psychological drive to make candy. Christopher Lee extended his record streak with his role as Willy’s obsessive dentist father, but it added nothing to the movie but another level of weirdness. Which is just about the last thing an already bizarre movie needs.
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