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DVD Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition)
Mixed reviews and creepy comparisons to Michael Jackson notwithstanding, Tim Burton's splendidly imaginative adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory would almost surely meet with Roald Dahl's approval. The celebrated author of darkly offbeat children's books vehemently disapproved of 1971's Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (hence the change in title), so it's only fitting that Burton and his frequent star/collaborator, Johnny Depp, should have another go, infusing the enigmatic candyman's tale with their own unique brand of imaginative oddity. Depp's pale, androgynous Wonka led some to suspect a partial riff on that most controversial of eternal children, Michael Jackson, but Burton's film is too expansively magnificent to be so narrowly defined. While preserving Dahl's morality tale on the hazards of indulgent excess, Burton's riotous explosion of color provides a wondrous setting for the lessons learned by Charlie Bucket (played by Freddie Highmore, Depp's delightful costar in Finding Neverland), as he and other, less admirable children enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime tour of Wonka's confectionary wonderland. Elaborate visual effects make this an eye-candy overdose (including digitally multiplied Oompa-Loompas, all played by diminutive actor Deep Roy), and the film's underlying weirdness is exaggerated by Depp's admirably risky but ultimately off-putting performance. Of course, none of this stops Burton's Charlie from being the must-own family DVD of 2005's holiday season, perhaps even for those who staunchly defend Gene Wilder's portrayal of Wonka from 34 years earlier. --Jeff Shannon
DVD features The second disc is filled with a number of distinctive featurettes. The likely crowd-pleaser in most households is "Attack of the Squirrels," which recounts how those fuzzy little creatures (a combination of hard-to-train live animals, animatronics, and computer graphics) can be ornery in their own right. "The Fantastic Mr. Dahl" is a 17-minute look at author Roald Dahl through vintage footage and new interviews with family, friends, and colleagues. "Becoming Oompa-Loompa" follows Deep Roy as he is filmed over and over again through his dance steps and music performances.
Roy is a constant throughout the kids' activities as well. You can follow him to learn two different dance steps "Augustus Gloop" and "Violet Beauregarde," and make him taste weird candy inventions in a simple game. "Search for the Golden Ticket" is a five-part challenge that tests your remote-control fingers, your deductive abilities, or your luck. Finally, if you just want basic behind-the-scenes information, "Making the Mix" is a collection of featurettes (around 40 minutes total) covering the film's casting, music, production design, and special effects. --David Horiuchi
Review(s): DVD Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition)
Better because the grafics and JOHNNY DEPP!!!
Come on we all know Johnny is hot but he makes the perfect part in the movie! I mean I like this one a whole lot more because Charlies cuter and not ugly and also because all the other kids just fit the parts way better than the original! I am totaly giveing it 5 stars he kicked at the part! Also when Violit turns purple she actully looks purple not just a light coming over her!!! People rent it Johnnys a pro
emilie
Trust me I love Johnny and all and will go see any movie he's ever made but I have to say that this one really stunk! See the original instead of this remake.
chocolate delight
Maybe better than the original. I liked that they focused on Wonka's childhood throughout the film. That was something that really added to the storyline. They really did a good job in the beginning making the golden wrapper seem like a big deal, too. I guess the only surprising thing was that the bubble room from the original wasn't anywhere to be seen in this one, but in a way the room with the squirrels made up for it.
Oh, and the children seemed ESPECIALLY bratty this time, which made it better when those bad things happened to them. A friend pointed out to me that this version has a LOT more musical numbers. Good call. I don't know if the ending was better than the original, but it was certainly a very good, interesting way to wrap up this wonderful remake. I don't want to reveal what happens at the end, so let's just say that when the factory tour is over, and Charlie leaves, there's still a decent chunk of storyline left.
I was kind of disappointed that the whole fantasy of "living in a world of chocolate" element wasn't really there, which is definitely a bad thing. I mean, come on. We ALL want a world of chocolate! I just feel there should have been more chocolate-related things included in the film.
Overall, it's probably not better than the original, but it's not worse either. You really need to own both.
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