'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'

I've always been a fan of Johnny Depp, ever since his humble beginnings on the TV series, "21 Jump Street". Two performances of his which particularly I liked, and which displayed Depp's quirkiness and versatility, were Edward Scissorhands and Cap'n Jack Sparrow.

I have also liked Tim Burton's darkly humorous directing style, particularly, "The Nightmare Before Christmas," "Batman," and "Beetlejuice."

So, it is with no surprise that I enjoyed "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," based on the children's book by the late Roald Dahl, starring Depp and directed by Burton.

The movie doesn't disappoint; it remains faithful to the book without being too stilted ("Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone" comes to mind). It is visually appealing, and nicely paced.

Depp, as eccentric candy maker Willy Wonka, delivers a great performance, with his stilted speech and fluid facial motions.

The Oompa-Loompahs, played by Deep Roy (all of them; isn't CGI great?), were funny, although the singing tended to get on one's nerves after a while.

Freddie Highmore, who teamed up with Depp in "Finding Neverland," bring the right amount of innocence and goodness to the role of Charlie Bucket. Annasophia Robb, as Violet Beauregard, was also rightly annoying as her character demands.

All in all, "Charlie" is an interesting film, and worth the watch. It may be a little disturbing for kids, though, but that's Roald Dahl for you.