Tim Burton’s Divisive Remake of a ‘70s Classic Just Joined Paramount+

Tim Burton has been behind some major Hollywood blockbusters, but his remake of a ‘70s classic that is now streaming on Paramount+ isn’t for everyone. The famed director has been leaving his mark on cinema since the early 1980s with beloved original films like Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands, but he also hasn’t shied away from remakes, most notably 2001’s Planet of the Apes remake and his The Addams Family spinoff Wednesday. In 2005, Burton tackled another remake that proved to be one of his most divisive titles yet.

With a “Certified Fresh” critic score of 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, 2005’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is one of the highest-rated movies of Burton’s career, but the film’s 51% rotten audience score makes it within his 10 lowest-rated movies. The movie, an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s 1964 children’s book of the same name, which was initially adapted in 1971 for the Gene Wilder classic Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, started streaming on Paramount+ on December 1st. The movie stars Johnny Depp as the beloved chocolatier, who opens his chocolate factory to five lucky children who score a golden ticket, including young Charlie.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Is One of the Most Divisive Movies in Tim Burton’s Filmography

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Despite being a box office hit with a $475 million worldwide gross, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is incredibly divisive. Although critics praised the movie’s more faithful-to-the-book approach and the visually appealing and darker aesthetic, many viewers felt it was too drastic and unsettling of a departure from the 1971 film’s whimsical nature. One of the biggest points of contention has been the movie’s take on Wonka himself, with Depp’s version of the character becoming a socially awkward and psychologically troubled man versus Wilder’s more charismatic version. The 2005 version also provides a significant backstory to the character through extensive flashbacks of Wonka’s childhood, shifting the focus too heavily to the Wonka’s issues rather than focusing on Charlie’s inspiring journey.

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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was a major box office success and has performed well on streaming in recent years, likely in part due to the recent Wonka film, but the movie is one of those films that has aged badly. Rather than gaining a wider appreciation over time, opinions on the movie have geared more negative, and a report from Stat Significant this year even revealed that Burton’s remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has charted the fourth-greatest decline in ratings between its release and the 2018 to 2023 date range at an 18.3% decrease.

What’s New on Paramount+?

There are a lot of new titles sitting in the Paramount+ streaming library following the rush of new arrivals on December 1st. In addition to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Paramount+ subscribers can now stream movies including Addams Family Values, the Beverly Hills Cop movies, Forrest Gump, and GoodFellas. Other new arrivals include Failure to Launch, Inglourious Basterds, and Paddington.

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