Film is a medium in which even above-average ideas can be brought to life in one of the most imaginative ways possible. Tim Burton is a director who’s managed to do that quite a few times, and the other times, he’s excelled both in content and the imaginativeness of its manifestation. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a film that belongs to the latter category. Something that’s brilliantly written and directed at the same time.
No one gets the weirdness and the lore of a fantasy storyline as much as Tim Burton does, and he’s someone who also executes the storyline in a trademark style. It’s as if all of the stories that he’s adapted belong to the same. You’ll seldom see a director with so many acclaimed and inwardly diverse fantasy films attributed to him. Despite maintaining a trademark aesthetic, he’s managed to give almost every film of his a vastly distinct identity, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is just another example of that.
How to Stream or Download Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
To stream or to download the full movie online, click on the Download button that is located below this review. If you like Tim Burton films check out also our reviews of Batman (1989), Batman Returns (1992), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Alice in Wonderland (2010), Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (2016), or Dumbo (2019).
The Movie Review
This fantasy musical film adapts a 1964 British book of the same name, which is one of the bunch written about Willy Wonka. Johnny Depp is cast greatly as Wonka, and Freddie Highmore is highly fitting in the titular role too. But they’re not the only aspects that make this film so watchable. It may not be a masterpiece, but it excels in nearly every aspect, and most importantly in the way it communicates the story it adapts.
It surrounds Charlie Bucket, a very positive boy despite his poverty. He lives near the now publicly closed Wonka Factory, which suffered some problems related to industrial espionage that led to the firing of all of its employees, something he tries to hide from those who would tour the factory.
Out of ideas to save his business, Wonka brings forth a contest by putting five golden tickets inside Wonka Bars all over the world, and those who happen to find the ticket after unwrapping the bar would get a complete tour of the factory. The tickets become a hot topic, with people offering loads of money to those who’d win them, and for someone as poor yet lively as Charlie, it all becomes a dilemma.
The film exhibits the theme of success and profit versus family and peace, that in the pursuit of all big things, we may forget to cherish or downplay all the great little things in our daily lives. Accompanying Charlie on the tour are some notorious characters that don’t last long in the tour. We have the gluttonous Augustus Gloop, the spoiled Veruca Salt, the arrogant Violet Beauregarde, and the ill-tempered Mike Teavee, who add great flavor to the film’s themes earlier on.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory excels at contrasting Charlie and Willy Wonka. A poor yet determined kid, who would do anything for the sake of his family, and a stressed rich man who has done a bunch of wrong things for the sake of preserving his success. It’s about how much this one kid is able to influence a grown-up through manner alone. How the young Charlie chooses not to abandon his family for succeeding Willy Wonka and living a life full of fortune. The influence is great enough for Wonka himself to address his past demons, and for the absolute best to prevail for both the characters.
The film is enjoyable for people of any age due to its versatile writing. It may have been initially criticized by fans for not being as good as the original film, but it’s something that has aged greatly. It hits almost all the right notes with its great direction, nicely adapted writing, and well-devised spectacle.
Danny Elfman’s original score is extremely complementary, and the fact that Elfman and Burton are as great a combination as spaghetti and meatballs is timeless. Philippe Rousselot’s cinematography aids the film very well too and makes everything beautiful to look at. What’s the worthiest of praise, though, is the fact that it didn’t rely on CG effects and instead relied on built sets and practical effects.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is one of the nicest Tim Burton films, an adaptation that is as good as the novel itself. An imaginatively weird film in all ways, but also one with a great heart underneath.
