Right ingredients, wrong flavor

In Tim Burton's latest hyped-up summer blockbuster, he takes the daunting task of trying to follow in the footsteps of the nearly perfect 1971 film classic "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory." When the trailers were released for the new version, many, including myself, were genuinely excited, but groaned, "It can't be as good as the original." We were right.\nI know what you're saying: it's unfair to compare the new version to the original, since it isn't technically a remake, but a new adaptation of the book. Still, that's no excuse for some of the flaws in this film.\nIn this version, Johnny Depp steals the show as Willy Wonka, a mad candy maker who hides five golden tickets in candy bars and whoever finds them gets a tour of the factory. A poor good-hearted boy from England named Charlie, played exquisitely by Freddie Highmore, finds the last golden ticket after a German glutton, a British spoiled brat, a competitive gum-chewer and a violent video game addict all get the opportunity they don't deserve. One by one, the children's sins come back to bite them as they tour the fantastic factory.\nThe opening scenes of the film get you really excited, but what follow is more sugar than substance.\nThe new version seems to focus so much on the scenery -- Burton's strong point as evident in his other beautiful looking works "Big Fish" and "Edward Scissorhands." But it seems as if the characters in this film don't get the same attention. \nThe plot rushes to the point where all the children find their golden tickets, almost ignoring the media frenzy evident in the original and thusly killing the suspense of Charlie eventually finding his ticket. When you get to the factory, the children are served their punishments so quickly that you really don't get a chance to properly despise them so the sense of satisfaction for the viewer isn't the same.\nOne of the reasons the character development is so weak is that there isn't a lot of dialogue in the film. The rapid-fire wit and asides of the original are gone, replaced by Depp's slow speech and Burton's sweeping camera angles with the gushing Danny Elfman soundtrack in the background.\nThe one character you do get to learn a lot about is Willy Wonka. Depp plays the character like a psychotic man-child, smiling huge and giving creepy stares to everyone he meets. Flashbacks tell you about Wonka's past and how he eventually came to love chocolate and distrust adults. It's kind of interesting to learn all of this, but I found it to be unnecessary and distracting. \nEverything about this movie just doesn't seem to be as whimsical. \nThis film still has plenty of positives. The casting was great and the acting was wonderful. Despite the lack of dialogue, each character gives as much as they can into every line. The costumes are fantastic and the cinematography is something worth studying. Overall, it's a well done film, but it doesn't quite live up to its potential.