Written by Luke Barnes
Charlie and The Chocolate Factory is a fantasy family film directed by Tim Burton, based on the Roald Dahl book of the same name. The plot sees a group of lucky golden ticket winners get to explore a mysterious chocolate factory that is beyond imagining.
When people ask what is the most needless remake? I don’t see this film’s name come up nearly enough. It is a step down from the original Gene Wilder version in nearly every way, and I truly do believe that Burton was the wrong choice to direct this film- the book is really the anthesis of his standard mo.
Johnny Depp is trying his best as Willy Wonka, but he doesn’t play the character in the way we would expect or want, instead he plays Wonka as a cold, almost vindictive at times character who is drawn off and eccentric. Again this is very typical for the Depp-Burton dynamic, but it is not what anyone would want for a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory film.
Freddie Highmore is meh as Charlie, and really adds very little to the film.
The worst bit about this film is just how keen it is to explain away the mystery behind Wonka and his past, creating a social outcast, daddy issues, sub plot because why not.
Overall, it is as if Burton and the executives who signed off on this film had never read the book before.
Pros.
A few minor unintentional laughs
Cons.
Depp is miscast
Burton and his style don’t fit the film
There is a crucial misunderstanding of the source material
They demystify Wonka
2/5
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Another Millennial Reviewer 
I really liked the original film with Gene Wilder, but I had no interest in watching this one. It just looked bad from the trailers, and Freddie Highmore is a shit actor.
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