Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Full Screen Edition)

You may be wondering, "How many times can Tim Burton possibly use Johnny Depp and his other regulars in a movie, and still come up with something you haven't already seen?" Well let me assure you, this makes at least one more. It has been a very long time since I read the book, so I Honestly can't comment on the movie's accuracy to the book. I can, however, say that the basic plot is the same, with possibly less deviation from the book than the first movie. Notice I say less deviation. I do not say less enhancement, because Burton did add tons of clever and hilarious (albeit slightly creepy) little quips touches. I laughed out loud, delightedly, even uncontrollably, on numerous occasions throughout this movie. I have seen it more than once by now, and still take great pleasure in the little puns and in the portrayal of characters.The characters in this movie are rendered with great taste. Charlie is the unassuming and obviously pure and good-hearted boy he was in the book, as are his parents and grandparents. Augustus, Violet, Veruca, and Mike TV are over the top, obnoxious, and despicable, in a way that makes their individual failures quite gratifying. I get a good kick out of Violet's mother, who has the most intensely expectant stare anyone has ever seen. If any character was changed from the book, it's Willy Wonka. I'm sure he wasn't nearly as disturbed, creepy, and awkward as he is in this movie. The movie does, however, explain the reasons for his ways due to his tough, anti-candy father, and his isolation in the chocolate factory. He also comes around to likeability as the movie progresses, undergoing the necessary personal growth that is required in a true hero.As you can see, I gave the movie 5 stars. The entertainment value is there, without a doubt. As is the case with many Burton films, it may be a little creepy for very young children. But anyone with an appreciation for the quirky, the colorful, and the touching, should love Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

This movie was good. Not better than Willy winks though. But it was worth watching

Love that movie

This movie looks simply amazing! The color, texture and detail provided by HD-DVD are superb, this is a showcase title for the format. First a word about my setup, which is nice but far from optimal. The HD-DVD player is connected via HDMI to a Sanyo PL-Z4 projector, with an approximately 140" picture thrown onto a light beige wall. The room has little in the way of light control so we watch movies in the evening when there is less ambient light leaking through opaque cloth shades. Hardly the ideal environment to view a movie for most home theater afficionado's but my family and I thoroughly enjoy watching titles no less for it.Now about the title - there are no compression artifacts or mosquito noise to be found anywhere. None. I also bought this title on SD-DVD and have watched on an upscaling DVD player, both on a 57" crt bigscreen and the projector, and there are a distracting number of the aforementioned artifacts and mosquito noise in both cases. They're most noticeable on large surface solid colors, of which there are many in this movie. You'll see them "dance" and shimmer on SD-DVD, not so on HD-DVD.The colors are bold and bright when appropriate, but what really struck me while watching the title were the drabbish gray scenes such as the snow-covered streets of the town with the factory looming in the background. You can make out more detail, without any obvious edge enhancement problems found in the original SD-DVD version. The lights from the townsfolk dwellings were suffused with a soft glow in this latest version, not a ringed mess.The story itself is not necessarily an improvement over the original, rather its told from a slightly different perspective, giving more insight into Willie Wonka's character, and updating the other kids (Violet, Mike Teavee, etc...) to reflect a newer generation of youngsters. Mike feels a bit weak, he's portrayed as a videogame crazed violent kid in the sequence that introduces his character, then sort of disappears into the background the rest of the movie. Veruca and Violet by contrast are more prominently featured, and you'll develop more antipathy towards their characters by their actions throughout the movie. Augustus also suffers a bit but since he's the first to get ousted from the party, it's logical that he won't be as fully developed as a character. His romp through the initial scene whilst in the factory is pretty good however.Overall I'd give this 5 stars not only as a visual and audible feast for HD-DVD owners, but felt the movie was a great update to the original and stands on its own merits, even in SD-DVD presentation.

4 stars because, the stories didn't align to the original story. The movie was pretty goof tho! I love Johnny lol. Even tho the story line is kinda different i still really like the movie. Most of it is the same but if you are a die hard fan like (ME) then you'll understand. I don't want to tell too much about the movie but I bought it and I don't regret it one bit!!

Like this movie, one of my favorites For ages 5-18