We finally saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory last night. I had a pair of free movie tickets I won at work, and since we be po’, we figured we should make the most of them.
anyhow, first off, great previews. The Ice Age 2 teaser was freaking adorable. I love Scrat. Making the teaser about him was a stroke of genius. Harry Potter is going to be great…I hope. Goblet of Fire is my favorite book of the series…they’d better not screw it up. (I realize that I need to decide if I’m just going to wear my Hogwarts uniform to see it, or if I want to be Fleur, or Rita Skeeter…oh the possibilities. Plus I need to make two Halloween costumes before then…I need to get cracking!) And, of course, the lovely Corpse Bride. (Oooh…I could wear my wedding gown to it…make myself look all corpsey…hmmm…).
So, back to the film in question. This is easily one of Burton’s best films. Definitely his best in recent memory. Uh-may-zing. One of my absolute favorite things about this movie, is that the little crooked house was adequately captured. That is, to this day, the strongest image I have from the book (which I have not read since I was wee). The ancient grandparents all tucked into the same bed. Captured perfectly. The casting was phenomenal*. Freddie Highmore is amazing. I am so leary of kid actors. Everyone fawns all over them, like they are so adorable, and 99% of the time, I want to slap their smarmy little faces. But not this kid. He is so genuine, and he is cute, in a normal kid sort of way. Wonderful as Charlie. And his whole family…the right look, the right vibe…they sold it, and I bought it, all the way.
Johnny Depp was in-freaking-credible. He nailed Wonka right on the head. He was indeed the eccentric candy-maker, through-and-through. And he was freaking hi-larious. Seriously, some of his lines had tears in my eyes. If he could get an Oscar nod for Pirates of the Caribbean (he was fine, but that was such a mediocre film), He should get one for this. He captured all of the qualities of the nutty artist, and the isolation of Wonka. He was brilliant.
All of the children were delightfully awful. And I was so happy that all of the original songs from the book made it in for their downfalls. And the squirrels! The amazing squirrels. (they did actually train the squirrels, but there were fewer, and they multiplied them…but they were still amazing). I can’t blame Veruca for jumping down there. And that they actually dragged her off…beautiful. Mike Teavee reminds me of my nephew, O. He sort of looks like him, although not as disarmingly beautiful as O is. But the way he talked, and such…it was a little eerie. We will have to make sure he doesn’t turn out like Mike Teavee.
The Oompa Loompas were great. Again, something this film got right. Funky, but believable. And of course the process to get Deep Roy as 165 Oompa Loompas is amazing. Very detail oriented, that Mr. Burton is.
And finally…Danny Elfman. Wow. Blew me away again. I must have that soundtrack (just call me Veruca). Every time I see a film that he has scored, his music gives me goosebumps. People with that level of talent just boggle my mind. I seriously can’t wrap my head around how he creates it all. He is fantastic at capturing a mood.
Oh, and I can’t forget the design of the film. It really felt like the book. The use of color, and texture was incredible. Even the details, like Wonka’s purple latex gloves (when you see the film, you will know why). The right balance of realism and surrealism.
I could seriously go on, and on, and on…but I won’t. If you haven’t seen it, see it…you won’t be sorry. Especially if you grew up reading Roald Dahl. I am already hoping that they make Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator after this.
*What is with Helena Bonham Carter anyway? Let’s see, we’ll put her in monkey make-up. Gorgeous. Let’s make her look like a crack whore. Yup, still beautiful. We shall give her some seriously fucked-up British teeth…and she is still hot. Does she have some sort of supernatural powers? How is all of this possible? I am trying to understand…but alas, I fear I won’t.