MPAA Rating: PG, for quirky situations, action and mild language
Genre: Fantasy
Runtime: 115 minutes
Charlie Bucket (Freddie Highmore) is a young boy who is due for a bit of good luck. Charlie’s family is destitute. He lives with his mother (Helena Bonham Carter), father (Noah Taylor), and four bed-ridden grandparents in a tiny shack. Though they are in great need of everything money can buy, they are not lacking in love.
Overshadowing the Bucket family’s rickety home is the Wonka Chocolate Factory. One day, the eccentric owner of the factory, Willy Wonka (Johnny Depp), announces that he has hidden 5 golden tickets in his famous Wonka bars. The 5 lucky children who find the tickets will get to tour the factory, and one child will win a very special surprise.
Worldwide mania over finding the tickets ensues. Charlie deals with disappointment while he and his supportive family watch other children get the tickets. But, as luck would have it, Charlie eventually manages to find a ticket himself.
On the specified day, Charlie, Grandpa Joe, and the other four winners - Augustus Gloop (Philip Wiegratz), Veruca Salt (Julia Winter), Mike Teavee (Jordon Fry), and Violet Beauregarde (Annasophia Robb) along with their chosen guardians - are admitted to the factory for a fantastic and sometimes disturbing experience. With the oddly intriguing factory owner as their guide, the children enter a charming candy land and explore the magical inner workings of the factory, but there is an eerie feel to the strange chocolatier and his factory run by Oompa Loompas (all played by Deep Roy).
While Charlie is well-behaved throughout the adventure, each of the other four children portrays a stereotypical characterization of bad childhood behavior. As the tour progresses, the gluttonous Augustus, spoiled Veruca, hypercompetitive Violet, and arrogant Mike one by one give in to temptation, resulting in a fitting consequence. Parents beware, though, because the Oompa Loompas are quick to point out their parents’ roles in causing these loathsome children’s behaviors.
Children will love the vibrant colors in the movie and the fanciful candy coated surroundings. In typical Tim Burton style, though, this movie is somewhat darker than the original movie. The factory tour starts off with a bizarre puppet show that catches on fire. Very young children may also find the scary music and intense scenes surrounding the children’s travails to be slightly frightening.
The updated version of the story contains some humor geared toward adults or teens, and it lacks a little of the moral fiber that wove the original movie together so well. For instance, the Oompa Loompa’s new songs, peppered with cultural spoofs, do not spell out the morals of the story as clearly as the memorable songs from the original.
Overall, the movie is still a wonderfully unique story about children (both naughty and nice), parents, and an eccentric candy man. Especially redeeming is the endearing tale of Charlie’s own loyalty to his humble family.
The following table contains some of the most prominent examples of possibly offensive material in the movie:| Violence | Medium | -Child yells, "Die, die, die!" at a video game. -A little girl gets attacked by squirrels, but she is not harmed. -Oompa Loompas are shown whipping a cow to make "whipped cream." -A knife is shown briefly in a spoof on the movie "Psycho." |
| Sex/Nudity | Very Low | -Violet's mom wears a somewhat revealing top, shows cleavage. -A double entendre is used "Don't touch that squirrel's nuts..." |
| Profanity | Low | -The word "hell" is used. |
| Alcohol/Drugs | Very Low | -The movie very briefly shows Veruca’s mother taking a drink of an alcoholic beverage. |
| Bad Behavior | High | -Movie contains several examples of children behaving disrespectfully and disobeying rules. |
| Scary Scenes | Low | -Puppet show dolls melt and eyes pop out. -Scary music plays during scenes when naughty children endure the consequences of their actions. |
