Film: Charlie And The Chocolate Factory

Roald Dahl's magnificent children's books have conjured up many images in imaginations both young and old. However it seems unlikely that many people envisaged Willy Wonka as Michael Jackson with a bob and dentists gloves. Then again Tim Burton, the director of the film version of Charlie And The Chocolate factory has always had a slight skewed view of life to say the least.

The centre piece of the film is Johnny Depp's eccentric take on childhood favourite Willy Wonka and unfortunately the rest of the film is a little pedestrian in comparison. The design of the film is vivid and busy but never quite feels stunning. The rest of the film seems slightly truncated with the Umpa Lumpa's songs slicing Dahl's lyrics down to short repeated phrases.

Despite these reservations the film still proves to be one of the most fun pieces of family entertainment seen in a while. It may be totally lacking in substance, but sweet things always have been.