For me it was never going to be as good as the original, and it isn't. Burton aficionados will sing the praises of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, declaring that Depp's Wonka is closer to what Dahl wrote, that it is not a remake of the classic 1971 film, that Burton remains truer to the text, and that the sum of these things make for a much better adaptation.

For anyone still out there unaware of the book or the original film, Charlie Bucket (Highmore) is a very sweet boy who lives an impoverished life in a small house with his loving parents (Bonham Carter & Taylor) and four grandparents. Living under the shadow of the biggest chocolate factory in the world, Charlie dreams of finding a golden ticket in a Wonka bar - winning the chance to tour the factory and meet the famously reclusive Willy Wonka. He miraculously finds a golden ticket and meets up with the four other winners, each one more selfish and nasty than the next. Charlie doesn't know it, but meeting Willy Wonka will change his life forever…

I am genuinely excited as I sit in a packed Savoy One. My biggest fear for the film is that special effects, CGI, and Tim Burton quirkiness will replace the heart and soul that I associate with this story; my hope is that I will feel an ounce of the wonder and exhilaration that I felt while watching the original film. I am at a press screening where those of us over the age of ten are in the minority - ah, the under tens; the harshest critics of all! A small boy behind me yells at the top of his lungs 'WOW' as a giant Wonka bar fills the screen, it suddenly hits me that I will never be properly able to evaluate this film, as I will never be able to see it through the eyes of a child.

The opening title sequence dashes my hopes and compounds my fears, here's the CGI I have been dreading. We see a series of well-constructed but disappointing cartoon like shots of the famous Wonka bar being made and packaged. Relief comes quickly with 'real' shots of the dazzling gothic industrial-style Wonka factory, complete with brown and pink vintage delivery vans. I can breathe again; all is not lost. It has to be acknowledged that Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is most definitely not a remake of the 1971 Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, but rather a strong new adaptation of the book. All good and well, but for me Burton has taken the heart out of the story; the torturously poor life of Charlie Bucket now seems unfittingly surreal, complete with an unnecessarily Crooked House. It seems Burton has deliberately taken out the pivotal moving moments of the original and left us with a colder more alienated feeling. Yes, the film is stunning, colourful, and surreal, but so much focus has been placed on these components that story and characterisation have been neglected.

Danny Elfman has indeed invented a wonderful score, but in reverting back to Dahl's lyrics he has created interesting musical breaks rather than songs to be treasured forever. The songs and images of Mel Stuart's film are imbedded deeply in the psyche of my generation; I can't imagine the 'Burton Songs' being remembered in twenty years time.

Depp brings a familiar silliness to Wonka's character, a more approachable 'Chocolatier' than had been expected, and Freddie Highmore portrays a perfectly pitched Charlie Bucket, but there is no connection between them. Wonka knows that Charlie is the 'one' from the moment they meet and then we are just brought through the motions of eliminating the four other children. The grandparents bring great comedy to the family scenes, and David Kelly is superb as Grandpa Joe. Special mention must be given to Deep Roy; there are 165 Oompa-Loompas in Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and he plays every one of them. Some of the mystery of Wonka is dissipated by the knowledge that he has parents, or that he spent part of his adult life away form the factory swashbuckling in the jungle - do we really need to know that Willy had a past?

There are laughs to be had here, there are visuals to be enjoyed, and ultimately there is a joyous journey to be taken. However this film, unlike the book or the 1971 film, fails to move or stir up emotion in the audience, and no amount of CGI or special effects will ever replace the genuine heart of a great story.

Rated PG (see IFCO website for details)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is released on 29th July 2005.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Official website