While Wilder's Wonka had the pensive perfume of bittersweet chocolate, Depp's Wonka is that weird white chocolate--not really what you have in mind when you want to eat chocolate but can be an acquired taste and definitely part of the culinary craft.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 27, 2023

Credit Burton for going the practical route; it visually grounds the otherwise fantastical film. Surprisingly Depp's unhinged and frequently bizarre performance works more often than not.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Dec 12, 2023

... for all of the flights of fantasy, Burton never quite finds the heartbeat that warmed the original classic with Gene Wilder, partly because this Willy Wonka is so disconnected and distracted, unable to relate to anyone...

| Aug 19, 2023

Marrying extreme set design and sublime casting... Burton's film showcases his usual interest in gothic effects and the original Willy Wonka's psychedelia.

| Feb 3, 2020

A delightful treat filled with stunning visuals and a lot of fun performances, headlined by Johnny Depp.

| Original Score: A- | Nov 19, 2019

A movie giddily drunk on its own sheer different-ness.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jun 5, 2019

Somehow everything comes up smelling of rose-scented chocolate... Burton outdoes himself and it's the inside of the chocolate factory and its community of singing Oompa-Loompas that scintillate.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Apr 25, 2019

By fleshing out the backgrounds of the factory's most peculiar characters and allowing Dahl's unique mixture of charm and menace to guide him, Burton has created a film that is sharp, scary, and, surprisingly, quite heartwarming.

| Feb 6, 2018

It was once a place for pure imagination. Now, under Tim Burton's care, it's a madhouse again.

| Original Score: B+ | Nov 12, 2017

Depp, whose Wonka seems to be a cross between Michael Jackson and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari's somnambulist Cesare, delivers an engaging surface performance, though I far prefer the more measured madness of Gene Wilder's interpretation.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Mar 4, 2015

Predictably twisted scenery, a bland story, a horrible alteration of Wonka, and an ending that's anything but pleasing...

| Sep 8, 2012

Adults and kids alike will take macabre delight in the punishment of naughty children. Burton and co make smart and funny additions to this classic tale.

| Original Score: 3/5 | May 27, 2011

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is quite simply, wonderful; a brilliantly imagined story that will win old fans and new fans alike.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Apr 26, 2011

The Nut Room scene, complete with squirrels, is unreservedly brilliant, a tour de force of electronic wizardry.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 13, 2008

One of the best family films in a while and one of the year's stronger films to date.

| Jan 15, 2008

Poised to become a new cult classic to replace the old one.

| Original Score: A | Sep 24, 2007

The material plays to [Burton's] strengths ... he's more interesting as a stylist than a storyteller.

| Original Score: B | Sep 20, 2007

Depp's Wonka exudes none of the gravity required for the role. It's as though he didn't take the role seriously. Rather than an intimidating candyman teaching brats a lesson, this Wonka is simply a freak.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Jul 14, 2007

Possibly the first Hollywood movie to design a fairy tale of sorts around globalization, the film conjures a mythic Brit multinational instead of the usual imperial realm, asa basically high caloric magical kingdom.

Full Review | Apr 19, 2007

There's a lot of cool stuff on display here, but it lacks the consistent creative vision--or, if you like, the pure imagination--of the original film.

| Mar 1, 2007