'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' is a weird movie.

Story 

Eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka opens his factory to 5 lucky children who find a golden ticket that he has placed in 5 chocolate bars with a promise of a special prize to one of the children.

The story is based on the well-known story of the same name by Roald Dahl and the second adaptation after Willy Wonka dn the Chocolate Factory starring Gene Wilder. The story is a good one, as it has a deeper meaning that I never noticed when I was younger.

Acting 

I saw this movie in the cinema in 2005 (wow that was a long time ago) and I had no idea Johnny Depp was in this movie until about 5 years later. Johnny Depp is known for playing eccentric characters and while this isn't outside his wheelhouse, this just feels very different from what he'd done prior to this. I've read that he was apparently channelling Michael Jackson and I see that. Willy Wonka is unpredictable and usually when I use that word I'm using to describe the antagonist and in a sense, Wonka is the antagonist of the movie. Even with that he still comes across as likeable.

The rest of the cast is made up of very familiar faces, Helena Bonham Carter (who is in every single Tim Burton movie), Freddie Highmore who gives a heartwarming performance that also manages to be really stiff go figure, Noah Tyler, Missi Pyle and AnnaSophia Robb. Of all the supporting characters, my personal favourite is Violet. There's something about her that I find relatable (and no I don't chew gum obsessively)

Writing/Direction 

If there was one person to direct this, its Tim Burton. He has weird and wonderful down to a tee. And even though this isn't my favourite of his movies, I can understand the tremendous amount of pressure he must have felt to bring this adaptation to life after the Gene Wilder movie was received so well. And I think he did a good job. The two movies while telling the same story, approach it in different ways. This adaptation while being light also manages to balance a more dour tone that looms in the background. That also lends itself to the visuals of the film that are a lot more muted than the previous version.

There are numerous pop culture references like Rock em sock em robots, 200, 1: A Space Odyssey, The Wizard of OZ, The One Piece Bathing Suit, Psycho, Ben-Hur, Hair, Beetlejuice and so much more and finding those references made the movie even more enjoyable.

CGI/Set Design 

This movie uses a lot more CGI than I remember and it is passable at best. I'm gonna allow it thought due to the fantastical and unconventional nature of the movie. You're going to have to suspend your disbelief when you watch this cause there is just so much happening here. The annoying thing, however, is the blend of good and bad CGI. When the CGI is good, you're not going to notice unless you're looking (like me) but when it is bad, you really have nowhere else to look cause it's glaringly obvious.

Score/Soundtrack 

The movie was scored by the one and only Danny Elfman who frequently collaborates with Tim Burton and one of the most interesting things about his artistry is that it is very diverse while also having similar tones that let you know that you're listening to a Danny Elfman score. There's a very whimsical quality to the score that fits the overall theme of the movie perfectly.

The soundtrack for this movie is weird but epic. One of the most interesting things about the soundtrack is how diverse it is. Each song presents a different musical archetype like 1970's funk, bubblegum pop, and hard rock. It makes each song distinct. The best one being Augustus Gloop for sure.

When the film was over the one question I had was "How did Danny Elfman and Tim Burton get permission to use ' Also sprach Zarathustra' (also known as the song form 2001: A Space Odyssey. However they got permission, it fits the scene perfectly.

Overall Thoughts

No word of a lie, I thought this movie was weird when I first saw it and I think it's really weird now, (Maybe even more so) but that doesn't mean I didn't like it. This movie is...... fine. It is one of those movies that you love as a child but love less as you grow older. It's lost a lot of the appeal and whimsical fun that it once had.  It has some really entertaining moments like the Augustus Gloop number which is still in my head as I write this review. And moments that don't hit home the way they are supposed to, like Wonka's emotional backstory.

All in all Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a heartwarming movie about family and chocolate that has singing and dancing Oompa Loompas. And if you haven't seen it before, you should cause it really is something.