Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005): A Review
Created | Updated Aug 9, 2005
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005): A Review
Roald Dahl's book forms the basis of this film, which, unlike the previous film (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory), places the centre of the film - as in the book - firmly on the character of Charlie, placed with naturalistic ease by Freddie Highmore. Highmore has been in Five Children and It, Finding Neverland, and his performance is so natural and real, that gives makes the film, even though it is a fantasy, a core of truth.
His family, although only vignettes apart from his grandfather, are wonderfully genuine if odd people. Helena Bonham-Carter, in a small performance, is particularly excellent. The grandfather (David Kelly) shows a wonderful rapport with Charlie, making family and generations important in the film.
Johnny Depp is also marvellous as the chocolate maker extraordinary, who is a genius of confectionary manufacture, yet, because of an absent mother, and the apparent rejection of his father, is deeply emotionally crippled, which provides an unexpected element of pathos to counterbalance the rest of the story, and a suitable finale, when he both finds his father's love, and also a family to be a part of.
The rest of the story concerns the finding of the five special tickets for access to his mysterious factory, and progress of the children. The children are to some extent caricatures, but they embody in their ghastliness the most revolting aspects of children - the gluttonous boy who cannot stop eating chocolate, the spoilt girl who wants everything now this minute and who has always had her own way, the girl who has always pushed to win, and the gadget freak kid, who lives for his games, and despises Wonka for not seeing the commercial possibilities in his inventions; the parents mirror
the children, and as each receives their come-uppance, you cannot help
rejoice, and wonder who will be next! Greed, in many forms, receives its ends, and these are wonderfully dark and disturbing.
The "Oompa Loompas" manage the difficult task of being both comic and sinister, and their songs have wonderful resonances to anyone who remembers or has enjoyed the golden age of Busby Berkeley musical films, The Big Band sound, 90's rap and the Beatles. They are all played by one actor, Deep Roy, who is digitally rendered to make a uniform perception of these strange people, and it is both seamless and effective; he also acts as narrator, providing a thread to bind the start and end of the film together.
At the core of the film is the idea of family, and how a loving family, generosity and kindness matter more than greed, wealth, pushiness, and ruthlessness. It is a a simple moral, but no worse for being told, and if one is going to say something, here it is said in a wonderfully weird and non-moralising tone - a modern fairy tale for adults and children alike.
Roald Dahl's book forms the basis of this film, which, unlike the previous film (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory), places the centre of the film - as in the book - firmly on the character of Charlie, placed with naturalistic ease by Freddie Highmore. Highmore has been in Five Children and It, Finding Neverland, and his performance is so natural and real, that gives makes the film, even though it is a fantasy, a core of truth.
His family, although only vignettes apart from his grandfather, are wonderfully genuine if odd people. Helena Bonham-Carter, in a small performance, is particularly excellent. The grandfather (David Kelly) shows a wonderful rapport with Charlie, making family and generations important in the film.
Johnny Depp is also marvellous as the chocolate maker extraordinary, who is a genius of confectionary manufacture, yet, because of an absent mother, and the apparent rejection of his father, is deeply emotionally crippled, which provides an unexpected element of pathos to counterbalance the rest of the story, and a suitable finale, when he both finds his father's love, and also a family to be a part of.
The rest of the story concerns the finding of the five special tickets for access to his mysterious factory, and progress of the children. The children are to some extent caricatures, but they embody in their ghastliness the most revolting aspects of children - the gluttonous boy who cannot stop eating chocolate, the spoilt girl who wants everything now this minute and who has always had her own way, the girl who has always pushed to win, and the gadget freak kid, who lives for his games, and despises Wonka for not seeing the commercial possibilities in his inventions; the parents mirror
the children, and as each receives their come-uppance, you cannot help
rejoice, and wonder who will be next! Greed, in many forms, receives its ends, and these are wonderfully dark and disturbing.
The "Oompa Loompas" manage the difficult task of being both comic and sinister, and their songs have wonderful resonances to anyone who remembers or has enjoyed the golden age of Busby Berkeley musical films, The Big Band sound, 90's rap and the Beatles. They are all played by one actor, Deep Roy, who is digitally rendered to make a uniform perception of these strange people, and it is both seamless and effective; he also acts as narrator, providing a thread to bind the start and end of the film together.
At the core of the film is the idea of family, and how a loving family, generosity and kindness matter more than greed, wealth, pushiness, and ruthlessness. It is a a simple moral, but no worse for being told, and if one is going to say something, here it is said in a wonderfully weird and non-moralising tone - a modern fairy tale for adults and children alike.
