Actors: Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore, David Kelly, Helena Bonham Carter, Noah Taylor
Directors: Tim Burton
Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Warner Home Video
Release Date: March 3, 2015
Run Time: 115 minutes
Our Score: 2.5 out of 5 stars
I can’t believe that it has already been 1o years since Tim Burton rebooted the 1971 cult classic hit “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” with his film “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”. Despite most of the critics and public, I did enjoy this film. Johnny Depp is a looney in it and nails the role. Of course he is no Gene Wilder but it is also a completely different movie, so give and that there. This is a film that only Tim Burton could have remade. So even though I love this film, this 10th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray doesn’t really impress at all.
Official Premise: An eccentric chocolatier, Willy Wonka (Depp), long isolated from his own family, launches a worldwide contest to select an heir to his candy empire. Five lucky children, including Charlie (Highmore), a good-hearted boy from a poor family who lives in the shadow of Wonka’s extraordinary factory, draw golden tickets from Wonka chocolate bars and win a guided tour of the legendary candy-making facility that no outsider has seen in 15 years. Dazzled by one amazing sight after another, Charlie is drawn into Wonka’s fantastic world in this astonishing and enduring story.
The only real selling point of this release is for a snazzy new case and an exclusive 30 page photo book with photos and stills from the production and also a personal message from Tim Burton. That is all. There is no additional improved video or audio presentations here. We get the same special features as the previous 2011 release as well. Not that either of those were bad originally but in terms of upgrade to this release, there really isn’t any reason to purchase this unless you are a die-hard fan or if you have never owned this Blu-ray before.
