Tim Burton rewatch! A new version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in 2005 must have been a daunting task considering how beloved the 1971 film was, with its outstanding Gene Wilder performance. But it was a chance for Burton to put his own spin on another classic. (And I swear I didn’t plan for this post to come out while the new Wonka movie is in theaters.)

Here’s what happens: Reclusive and mysterious chocolatier Willy Wonka holds a sweepstakes. Whoever finds one of five golden tickets in his Wonka Bars gets a tour of his magical chocolate factory. After several tries, dirt-poor Charlie Bucket miraculously gets hold of a ticket. He and four troublesome kids embark on the tour, led to Wonka himself. They behold chocolaty wonders unimaginable, but what is Wonka not telling them?

Origin story: There are a lot of stories out there about author Roald Dahl and the creation of 1964 novel. Some say it’s about him a child getting free chocolate samples at school from a nearby chocolate factory. Others say it’s based on stories about famous candy company Cadbury’s paranoia about competitors stealing its recipes. Whatever the inspiration, the book was a sensation and one of Dahl’s most popular, widely considered a classic today.

Outsider theory: It’s hard to get a read on Johnny Depp’s portrayal of Willy Wonka. I think the idea is that Willy is unsure of how to behave around others, so he’s putting ono a show of what he thinks people are like, but he’s not getting it quite right. But then there are times when it seems like something more, how this was his plan all along.

Many people have disliked the introduction of Wonka’s backstory in this, but it is what ties everything together in this version. Willy punishes the bad kids, but it’s the parents that he truly despises. He can’t bring himself to say the word “parents” throughout. In the end, it’s not about Charlie and the factory, but about Willy finally finding a family of his own.

Reality breaks through: While the whole movie takes place in a whimsical fantasy world, both in and out of the factory, the character Mike Teevee represents the real world. He’s very modern and contemporary, and he’s the one who nitpicks the fantasy trappings throughout. Willy Wonka dismisses him as “mumbling,” and I wonder if this is how Burton dismisses critics in real life.

Best bits: From the Veruca Salt song: “Veruca Salt, the little brute,

Has just gone down the garbage chute,

And she will meet as she descends,

A rather different set of friends.

A fish head for example cut,

This morning from a halibut,

An oyster from an oyster stew,

A steak no one else would chew.

Lots of other things as well,

Each with its rather horrid smell.”

Thoughts on this viewing: There’s a lot to like here, but a lot that doesn’t work for me. The kids and their parents are all fun characters, and well played. Actor Deep Roy does a bravura job of playing all the Oompa-Loompas, which must have quite a technical headache. But Depp’s weirdness doesn’t match Dahl’s weirdness, and the visuals are more ugly than magical. I like this movie, but it’s not a fave.

Next: We’re going to the chapel…

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