Here's what's wrong with this film

First off, I'm a real fan of the original 1971 film with Gene Wilder. So of course I was skeptical about this 05 remake. And of course, my skepticism turned out to be justified. This film is downright HORRIBLE compared to the original film. I mean, seriously...an atrocity. I didn't expect it to be that bad. But it really is. Here are the reasons why:

First and foremost, the biggest problem with this film are the two leading stars, Johnny Depp and the boy who played Charlie. As talented and iconic of an actor as Depp is, he was certainly no Willy Wonka. That's for sure. In fact, I'd even go so far to say that this might be his worst performance ever. It's not that his acting abilities were bad. It was his overall character. His persona as Willy Wonka was so utterly unlikable and annoying. Unlike the original character who is kind, welcoming, and mysterious; Depp portrays a Willy Wonka that is spiteful, unhinged, unfriendly, unwelcoming, creepy, totally unfunny, and frankly...a bit psychotic. And I'm not using any of those characteristics in a positive way. I mean, it is just so unfitting and awkward, and steers clear from all aspects of the original character. And the boy who played Charlie was just so "meh". Not the greatest acting. And really, Charlie didn't even seem like a main character in this film. He was more like a secondary character.

The overall look and feel of the film is so dreary, ugly, and depressing compared to the original. The factory seemed more like a cold and sinister science lab.

Willy Wonka's character was shown too early in the film, which stripped away any sense of mystery.

The scene when Charlie finds the golden ticket is so non-climatic compared to the original film. The scene is so dull. There's no uplifting music, no excitement...nothing. I was just like, "Really, that's it?!" Compared to the original scene, it is just pathetic.

The scene when the kids first arrive at the factory, and when those musical puppet like things start singing...what was that all about?? It made no sense. It did nothing but annoy me. And it made Wonka's introductory to the story immediately unlikable.

The kids in this film weren't as likable as the original either. Like I said, Charlie didn't even seem like an important character. The only character that was slightly likable, was Annasophia Robb's character. But that's only because out of all the kids, her acting performance was the most convincing. I cannot stress how badly the casting choices were in this film.

The slapstick humor of Wonka bumping into the glass was downright moronic.

Don't even get me started on the oompa loompas.

There are so many things I could point out. But all in all, as Simon Cowell from American Idol would say - "that was absolutely dreadful".

Epic fail.