[adam]

Fine.

I was somewhat sceptical, going in, for a few reasons, the foremost being that I quite like the original movie. Further, I had become somewhat sceptical of Tim Burton's abilities, since his recent work was not nearly as good as his older stuff (I felt like Big Fish was Burton-Lite). Also, Depp's performance honestly looked a little hammy in the previews.

Now, my opinion should be taken with a grain of salt: I was high on mushrooms, and, when Burton is good, my bias is definitely in his favour.

And this is Burton at his best. This is Burton in the vein of Edward Scissorhands and Beetlejuice, rather than Planet of the Apes and Big Fish. The visuals throughout the whole movie, the set designs, are worth the price of admission alone, in my opinion. From the way the chimney on their shack bends, to the monolithic factory, to the wonderful little room the squirrels sort nuts in, everything looks fabulous.

Some reviews are critical of Depp's performance, but I think they're ill-founded. The comparisons to Michael Jackson are off base, I think, and I wish people would stop repeating them. I've already heard people claim Depp admitted the influence; but I think it's just a lazy comparison encouraged by the current buzz around the trial. I read about what Depp and Burton had decided to bring to the character, and I objected to messing with material that I consider classical. (I was a fan of the books, especially the second, though honestly I hardly remember them at this point.) However, not only is the additional material very entertaining, it adds an angle to the resolution of the story that is fully in the spirit of the original.

This movie is quite funny, and had several moments that had all the adults laughing out loud at lines that were completely lost on the younger crowd. There's some wonderfully dark, hilarious segments, but I don't want to spoil them.

I just loved it. A friend of mine called it Burton's best. I'm not sure, yet, that I agree, but I'm not sure yet that I don't, either.

I don't want to give much away. There's so many good lines, but I'll leave them for you to see. If you've ever liked a Burton movie, you'll enjoy this one, and if you never have, this probably won't change that. But if you were sceptical because of affection for the original, don't fear, I found this to be its own beast, fully enjoyable on its own merits.