Let’s get to the question on everyone’s mind first – is Johnny Depp a good Willy Wonka? Yes – but this isn’t the spry old elf that Gene Wilder gave us in the 70s. This Wonka is damaged goods, just the kind of guy you’d expect who has spent a little too much time holed up in his chocolate factory, hanging out with Oompa Loompas. Depp’s Wonka doesn’t even like children, or any other people. He only issues the Golden Ticket out of necessity, to preserve his life’s work.
Wonka’s near autism (he yelps when other people touch him), soft voice, twitches, and daddy fixation are brilliant touches, yet sometimes painful to watch. Comparisons to Michael Jackson are inevitable, but there are also shades of Quentin Crisp, Bill Gates, and Howard Hughes. He’s an obsessive genius, broken, and nearly heartless.Wonka has opened his amazing chocolate factory for just one day, to five lucky children, to see if he can find a successor to his candy empire. No one has seen the inside of the factory for years, and it