charlie and the chocolate factory

i love tim burton. he's done some fine films, like edward scissorhands and the nightmare before christmas. and i can't wait for corpse bride.

i've reflected on this movie since i saw it last night and still can't decide whether i like it or not. there were definitely redeeming qualities. i liked johnny depp (even if his delivery was virtually identical to jim carrey doing andy kaufman in man on the moon). he was a bit more obviously creepy, but since his backstory was explored a bit more, the audience has a more emotional connection to him. the boy who played charlie was perfect. the cinematography was awesome. the makeup artist did a beautiful job of making all the kids look like they belonged in soundgardens "black hole sun" video (excessively wide grins, wide set eyes, creepy grays in the makeup).

all that being considered, i still don't know if i liked it. i was unhappy with the uumpa luumpas. i didn't like the excessive amount of songs. i didn't like some of the ethnic stereotypes (the kids in morocco, the prince in india with the melting chocolate palace). i didn't like the small amount of CG they had in the film. it was too much.

i cannot believe this is marketed to kids. i would be so freaked out if i watched it as a child. even as an adult, i was freaked out at some parts, like the melting puppets during the intoductory song to willy wonka (if you've seen it, you have to agree with me). sure, as an adult i can watch gene wilder doing willy wonka and be a little perturbed, but i only caught the nuances as an adult. as a child, i found him more fascinating than anything else.

maybe someday in the future i'll watch it again and be more sure of my opinion on it. as of now, it stands at a solid "meh."