My Re-Analyzing of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

If you'd like to know what I thought of this movie before, click on the link below:

My Movie Review on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

I know that it's been eight months and twenty-two days since I made my review on this feature, and that I already gave it a rating. However, as time went by and as I thought about the film more and more...there were things about it that I remembered that put me off in so many ways. It was particularly to where I thought that this film hardly needs to be seen compared to "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory", which was loads more fun.

For instance, I know that I commended Johnny Depp for his performance in the film and the fact that he was able to make the character his own. But, I also couldn't help but remember that in all the time I was watching Depp on the screen, his performance seemed a little exaggerated and cringy.

Most recently, I noted something that I found to have been a big blunder to the story:

In "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory", Charlie's father wasn't included and was mentioned to be dead. In this movie, though, Charlie's father is present and he works for a toothpaste company. I get that the filmmakers were obviously wanting to stick closely to the book, but in all honesty...including him was a terrible mistake. The absence of the father in "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory", in my opinion, added more weight to the struggles that Charlie and his family were going through in the film and helped me sympathize for them. In "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", though, that wasn't the case because of the presence of Charlie's father and the fact that he clearly had a steady job to work with.

Also, I pretty much stand by my opinion when I say the film showcased the worst musical score Danny Elfman ever created. Coming from a guy who hasn't even seen the film since the first time I watched it, which was when I reviewed the movie, I can hardly remember what his melodies were like. As a matter of fact, every time I think about his music score and my time listening to it while watching the film, I can't help but think that his melodies sounded like they were done by an amateur from outer space.

In the end, similar to the 2019 version of "The Lion King", my opinions and feelings towards this movie changed for the worse. I still find the filmmakers's willingness to be faithful to the actual story admirable and I think the cast (minus Depp, of course) did a phenomenal job portraying their characters. Everything else the film contained, though, was not something that I found to be well-played or to my liking. In short, it's a treat that's best left unattended.

So, I hereby downgrade "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" from three out of five to two out of five stars.

Comments

[The Blue EM2]

This film suffers from what I term Wachowski Syndrome; an excess of style over very little substance.

[annonymus]

In my opinion, I thought Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a great movie because it's an adaptation of the original book, and I also love Tim Burton.

[HolyCross9]

I honestly thought Depp did an AWESOME job in the role of Willy Wonka. Plus, I love this film as much as the 1971 version.

[Godslittleprincess]

5427990
I haven't seen the original movie, but I did read a fanfic that is basically the original movie played by MLP characters. The whole time I was thinking two things. One, "This didn't happen in the book." Two, "The book was better."

[A Man Undercover]

5445221
Then why did this movie not have a strong enough storyline compared to "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory"?

[Godslittleprincess]

5446108
Two questions. One, did you read the book? Two, did you enjoy the book? I read the book first, and I quite enjoyed it. Charlie's father working in a toothpaste factory was an add-on though, and so was Wonka's backstory. This movie did deviate from the book near the end, but it's understandable why they did. It gives Charlie and Wonka an actual conflict to work through.

[A Man Undercover]

5446164

Two questions. One, did you read the book? Two, did you enjoy the book?

I believe I read the book once before, but it's been years since I did and I don't remember much about it. I wouldn't mind giving it a read one day if the opportunity presents itself, though.