Elijah Wood Slams Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Elijah Wood didn’t hold back when asked which movie he’d erase from history, calling out Tim Burton’s 2005 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory remake for stripping away the original’s magic and charm.
If you had the power to wipe a single film from the face of the earth, which one would you choose? Maybe Michael Bay’s entire filmography, or every Exorcist reboot ever made? Some might even pick notorious flops like Battlefield Earth or The Love Guru. The list of regrettable movies is long, and plenty of actors have admitted they’d love to erase at least one project from their careers. But, more often than not, the worst offenders aren’t the ones making these confessions. Sure, Hugh Jackman might owe us an apology for his role in Movie 43, where he played a man with a bizarre physical deformity, but he’s hardly the biggest culprit compared to someone like Steven Seagal.
When it comes to Elijah Wood, he’s had his share of questionable roles. There was the 2015 misfire The Last Witch Hunter, where Vin Diesel played an immortal witch-slayer, and the forgettable 1990s Flipper remake, which somehow managed to be even less entertaining than the original. But when Wood was asked in 2017 which film he’d like to see erased from existence, he didn’t pick one of his own. Instead, he singled out Tim Burton’s 2005 take on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Wood’s Harsh Take on Remakes
Wood didn’t mince words about his feelings on remakes.
“Most remakes inherently don’t justify their existence,”
he said, explaining that if you’re going to remake a classic, you need to either improve on the original or take it in a completely new direction.
“That film did none of that,”
he argued.
“If anything, it destroyed the book, and it destroyed the film. It contained no magic.”
That’s a bold claim, especially when talking about a director like Tim Burton, who’s known for his unique sense of whimsy and imagination. Even Burton’s harshest critics would admit his movies are rarely lacking in style or creativity. But in Wood’s eyes, Burton’s adaptation of Roald Dahl’s beloved story missed the mark entirely, using all that signature dark whimsy to the film’s detriment.
Johnny Depp ’s Controversial Performance
Johnny Depp, deep into his post-Pirates of the Caribbean phase, took center stage in the film, and according to Wood, that was a big part of the problem. Wood described Depp’s portrayal of Willy Wonka as
“heinous and terrifying and molest-y and strange,”
saying it lacked any sense of beauty or innocence. While Gene Wilder’s original take on the character had a sly edge, he still managed to inspire awe by the end. Depp, on the other hand, seemed to be performing for the adults in the audience, chewing the scenery and coming off as unsettling rather than magical.
It’s not even the worst of Depp’s self-indulgent projects—Wood points to Mortdecai as a bigger disaster—but considering how cherished the original book and film are, the 2005 remake was a major letdown for many fans. While some viewers enjoyed Burton’s version, they were likely the same folks who lined up for the later Pirates sequels just to see Depp reprise his Jack Sparrow antics.
Missing the Heart of a Classic
For those who loved the original story, the remake offered little to appreciate and plenty to cringe at. The heart and wonder that made the first film and Dahl’s book so special seemed to be missing, replaced by a performance and style that felt out of place. Wood’s criticism struck a chord with many who felt the same way, highlighting just how tough it can be to recapture the magic of a true classic.