Reviews

They should teach classes in film school with this version, and compare it to the original. Whereas the original had wit, charm, and every frame was infused with magic, this version is stale, cold, and boring. Burton is a genius at art direction, but he should never be allowed to direct again. He has no sense of human interaction, storyline, editing, pacing, or direction whatsoever. The perfect example is the scene where Charlie finds the Golden Ticket. In the original, it still brings a tear to my eye when little Charlie Bucket finds it. In this version, if you blink twice, you miss it, and it is rendered completely boring and besides the point. Avoid all ALL costs!

All in all not a bad movie, but there is not one new idea in it. A rehash and sampling of at least a dozen other movies. From small stolen ideas..Blade Runner: (false memories implanted in a replicant), to huge stolen ideas: to The Clonus Experiment (clones grown for replacement body parts, who learn the truth and escape to expose the real truth), to The Matrix: huge caverns of growing bodies, Not to mention Logan's Run..etc etc etc.. The list is endless. But it is done with flair, directed and paced well. The actors are quite good, the effects are quite good, so its worth seeing, as long as you are new to the genre and wont see every plot point coming at you a mile away.