Just Because You Can, Doesn't Mean You Should: The Story of Tim Burton's Wonka

Tim Burton's Charlie and The Chocolate Factory held the promise of a worthwhile remake. A story deserving of a second breath with the right ingredients and a unique spin. Forums were alive with hopes Burton wouldn't hold back on the dark tone for which he is known. The first Wonka was oddly terrifying, but this one would be scary on purpose. Sadly, when finally released in 2006 the film was happy-go-lucky letdown.

Grandpa Joe Shoulda Stayed in Bed

Let's begin with the merits of Burton's re-envisioning of Charlie's tale. It's a more accurate adaptation of the book. Johnny Depp isn't all bad. Pretty colors. With that out of the way, it is a total failure to live up to the original film. One could argue that's not the point, that this is strictly a book adaptation. To you, one (or Jeff), I say that REELapse is a film blog thus that is the point here, even if not the intention of the filmmakers discussed. You have to go forward to go backward and all that. Pressing on. The new film simply reveals too much. By adding depth to elemental or fantastical characters in an effort to reinvent them, the filmmakers, in fact, killed their spirits.

Where It Went Wrong

The budgetary restrictions that made the Gene Wilder classic charming held the opposite effect for the Depp film. Burton had nearly unlimited funds. Because of this, we're overwhelmed with CGI and virtual squirrels. In addition to the "A" plot, the new film features in depth background stories for the central characters. This was not explored in the original film. Rather it spent as much time in the factory as possible. And isn't that what the golden fucking ticket was for in the first place? We don't need to know that much about these characters in that way. It's Charlie's story and, in an odd twist of fate, it is the film with his namesake that fails to focus on that. If you're still debating the merit of the films ask yourself what is more interesting:

I love children. Just not the ones that deserve to die.

A recluse madman who runs a chocolate factory fueled by odd little men, the claimed homeland of which probably doesn't exist, who offs the bad children of the world to give a better place to one worthy young person.
Or:

I'm eerie. Like, PG eerie.

A happy candyman with daddy issues passes along his fortune to a poor boy with similar daddy issues. Stupid.

The End of Our Tour

As you can probably tell, REELapse prefers the Mel Stuart original to that piece-of-shit Burton strung together a few years back. I'll end the discussion with a metaphor explaining the difference in the films. The classic is much deeper, more meaningful. While it may look simple at first glance, it is filled with rich undertones and depth. Like a Snickers. Burton's film on the other hand is shallow and flashy. Like a Hershey bar covered with sprinkles. And that's exactly what it is. Nothing more than chocolate and sprinkles.