Depp shows dark side of 'Chocolate Factory'

This remake of “Willy Wonka” is titled “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” as was Roald Dahl’s novel. Dahl’s classic children’s books all have an underlying sense of darkness, so who better to direct such a piece than Tim Burton? Nearly all of his films, from “Beetlejuice” to “Edward Scissorhands” to “Ed Wood” and even “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure” have been built upon disturbing implications.

Burton’s update of the life and times of Willy Wonka features dazzling colors and exquisite production design by Alec McDowell, whose credits include “The Cat in the Hat,” “Fight Club” and “Minority Report,” but there’s a slightly macabre feeling to the entire affair. Dahl, who died in 1990, was not shy in voicing his disdain for the earlier film. He would surely approve of Burton’s treatment. It’s closer to the tone of the book.

The story opens in the home of the Bucket family. Mr. Bucket tries to make ends meet with his job putting the caps on toothpaste tubes. Mrs. Bucket stays home to look after her parents, her in-laws and son Charlie. Charlie (Freddie Highmore) is a good-hearted lad, wise and kind beyond his years, but still childlike.

Grandpa Joe (a wonderful David Kelly) reminisces about the days long ago when he and a good number of the townsfolk made a decent living working in the magical candy factory owned by Willy Wonka.

Sadly, after corporate spying threatened to ruin his business, Wonka fired his entire work force and locked the doors to his factory. No one has been inside it for 15 years. The odd thing is, Wonka continues to manufacture all of his delightful confections. It’s a mystery as to how this is accomplished.

Much to the surprise of everyone, Willy Wonka breaks his silence by announcing that five lucky kids will have the pleasure of a personally guided tour of his factory. There are five golden tickets hidden inside the wrappers of Wonka’s chocolate bars. A worldwide feeding frenzy takes place in search of the magical passports.

Four are soon discovered, and we meet the other principals of the film. Augustus Gloop is a German kid who gorges himself on chocolate 24/7. Veruca Salt is a spoiled brat whose daddy indulges her every whim. Mike Teavee is a sociopathic child adept at video games. Violet Beauregarde is an overachieving pageant junkie with a stage mom to match.

Meanwhile, Charlie dreams of finding the final ticket. His family is so poor he only gets one candy bar a year, on his birthday. The family decides Charlie’s birthday shall come early this year and anticipation runs high. While the candy is a welcome treat, sad to say it doesn’t yield a golden ticket.

So, end of movie? Of course not.

Through an obviously magical circumstance, Charlie gets his golden ticket, and he and Grandpa Joe – as well as the other four winners and their chaperones – are off to a day at Willy Wonka’s.

The factory is Disneyland meets Oz mixed with some of Alice in Wonderland’s mushrooms. Chocolate rivers flow, and the candy, we learn, is produced by a race of little people (all played by Burton regular Deep Roy) known as the Oompa Loompas.

As Wonka leads the group around the factory, his unsettling personality begins to come to the fore. The kids, one by one, pay for their individual sins. It’s a twisted delight to see these brats get their, ahem, just desserts.

Only Charlie and Grandpa Joe come away unscathed, and Wonka has a special prize for Charlie. The reward seems too good to be true and Charlie has a big decision to make.

Burton has added a back story here featuring Wonka as a child. We learn why he loves chocolate so much, and we see the events that have made him the socially off-kilter grownup he’s become.

Stories abound as to who served as Depp’s model in his portrayal of Willy Wonka. The obvious influence is Michael Jackson, but Burton and Depp also have cited Carol Channing, Edward Scissorhands and shock rocker Marilyn Manson as influences. Manson himself desperately wanted to play the part. I think we’ll all agree that Burton made the wise choice with Depp, one of filmdom’s finest actors.

“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” works on a lot of levels. There’s enough to keep the kids laughing and entertained while the older crowd also will enjoy the social satire. It’s definitely one of the bright spots in this rather bleak summer of film.

Jim Wunderle owns Wunderle Sound Services and is a Springfield free-lance writer and musician.