Let’s go back to a world where seeing Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter on-screen together was a pure joy, a simple (and of course, complex) pleasure we could indulge in.
We’re not diving into any of the recent news surrounding Depp that’s been covered ad nauseam on our site and elsewhere. Instead, we’re just here to take a look back at the duo who brought their cooky craft together to collaborate on films that still stand their ground to this day.
Here they are, all the Depp and Bonham Carter movies, ranked from worst to best.
Oh, and we’d be absolutely remiss if we didn’t mention that five of the seven movies the duo have appeared in together were directed by — you guessed it — Tim Burton. It’s hard to separate the two actors from the director with Depp playing a role in eight of Burton’s 20 films and Bonham Carter appearing in eight herself — with five of those overlapping.
Plus, Burton and Bonham Carter were once a couple throughout the duration of the films below — from 2001 to 2014 — and they even have two children together. Additionally, Depp is the godfather to their children, which just goes to show the bond between the three of them.
The last film that Depp, Bonham Carter and Burton worked on together was in 2012, and let’s just say you’ll get to it on the list sooner rather than later.
7. The Lone Ranger (2013)
Spoilers — the bottom two movies on our ranking of Depp-Bonham Carter collaborations are the only two that Burton wasn’t behind the camera for.
Is that a coincidence? Perhaps. It wasn’t taken into consideration when compiling these rankings, but it stands to say that Burton brings out the best in the pairing, or rather the duo find a different stratosphere of acting and animated behavior with Burton directing them and lending his inspiration.
Sure, other films are rated lower via IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes, but Depp’s run as Tonto is just not easy to watch and Bonham Carter’s turn in the movie isn’t enough to redeem what ails the film.
Even with so much talent around the two as they’re joined by Armie Hammer and Tom Wilkinson, among others, the movie doesn’t have any redeemable qualities or anything that would make one person say to another, “You’ve gotta see this movie.”
6. Alice Through The Looking Glass (2016)
This, right here, is the movie ranked lowest on Rotten Tomatoes, but the visual effects alone give it a nudge above The Lone Ranger.
Sure, it’s yet another in a long line of sequels that can’t match the original, but if you liked the first foray into this universe with our main duo, then there is plenty fun to be found in Through the Looking Glass.
The storyline lacks, and of course, left in someone other than Burton’s hands, the movie is devoid of the great feel, pace, and whimsy that made the first film come to life.
5. Dark Shadows (2012)
Who knows, maybe we just dislike Depp with short hair — as a viewing audience at-large?
Dark Shadows is on the verge. On the verge of being funny, of being whimsical, of telling a fish-out-of-water-cursed-by-a-witch story that lives up to the premise. But somehow, it never finds its feet.
Coming out at a time when vampire flicks were still performing mediocrely in the theaters, Depp’s run as a vampire here doesn’t do enough to seal the deal.
In Dark Shadows, there’s the usual hijinks with mystical creatures and townspeople and vampires falling love; nothing new to see here. Since Chloë Grace Moretz turns out to be a teenaged werewolf at some point, we have the rehashing of a classic vampires and werewolves tale, which should make you want to watch What We Do In The Shadows instead, hopefully.
On the other hand, Bonham Carter as the live-in psychologist, Dr. Hoffman, who tries to free Depp’s Barnabas Collins from his vampiric state brings her usual gravitas to the film. With an added layer of demonic vanity to the film, she attempts a blood transfusion to turn Collins human, but in reality, she wants to steal his blood for her own use. Ultimately, she meets her untimely end as she is discovered and killed by Collins, who dumps her corpse out to sea.
At the film’s conclusion, we see Dr. Hoffman open her eyes at the bottom of the sea, which sets up a possible sequel, but that concept never came to fruition after this movie fell flat on its face.
4. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
Burton gets the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to remake Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, so who in the world would he hire to play Wonka?
Depp, of course.
While we’re still mixed on his performance of Wonka (and the more we revisit his roles, the more they seem to be different variations of intense/zany/aloof/dense), the movie remains solid because of everything else surrounding it. The whole reunion with his father near the end of the film doesn’t do much, but probably hits home and brings the film to a nice, fulfilling conclusion for younger audiences as it harps on about the importance of family.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory definitely benefits from being made largely without CGI, and by leaning in to the aspects that made people love Gene Wilder and the original film.
Having Danny Elfman involved with Burton again elevates the film as well. Not nearly enough Bonham Carter here, though, in her role as the titular Charlie Bucket’s mother, Mrs. Bucket.
3. Alice In Wonderland (2010)
Almost every bit the spectacle you would hope for from a Burton-led romp into Wonderland.
How do you take a tale that everyone knows, and likely has seen on the screen at some point in their lives, and make it fresh?
You change up the story a bit, of course, and in doing so, some of the wonder of the original story gets buried and forgotten, but in its wake is a different tale that at least allows the audience to suspend reality even further than normal. Kudos to the mezmerizing visuals and flawless acting, which substitute any plot deficit.
Burton does wonders here with the vivid cinematography and by pitting Depp’s Mad Hatter against Bonham Carter’s Red Queen.
Giving them both room to rule on opposite ends of the moral high ground, replete with exquisite costumes and sets, makes Alice in Wonderland stand out.
2. Corpse Bride (2005)
Interestingly, two out of our four top films were made in 2005.
While Bonham Carter and Depp needed to be present for the other 2005 flick, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, they only needed to lend their vocals to Corpse Bride.
Even so, Corpse Bride is the far better film of the two.
Bringing back Burton’s stylistic stop-motion animation with himself in the director’s chair (The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach were directed by Henry Selick), he sets up the musical dark comedy of Corpse Bride to be the best of the bunch.
Super sleek, with a wonderfully sung soundtrack, once again we find that the more we get to see Bonham Carter on the same level as Depp, the better the outcome.
The Corpse Bride storyline twists the tale of lovers torn apart and reunited again with intermingling of the Land of the Dead and the Land of the Living done with a remarkable vision that keeps you interested, engaged, and ultimately, rooting for just about everyone (except for Barkis Bittern, played by Richard E. Grant).
And, as someone who’s a sucker for an imaginative tagline, “There’s been a grave misunderstanding” is just untouchable.
1. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
Finally, our trio puts it all together in one place.
We get plenty of both Bonham Carter and Depp here, both allowed to explore their ability to have horrifying humor and real emotion all at once. Plus, it’s a musical, so we get some of the best parts of Corpse Bride but with the duo live in the flesh.
Plus, even though the film is dark — both in tone and composition — it somehow turns the tale of a murderous man hellbent on revenge and a woman who turns human corpses into minced meat pies into a very entertaining and well-made feature.
It took revisiting these films to realize most of them feature Depp heavily and Bonham Carter not enough.
The ones that let her soar, or at least have them as dual leads, are the best ones.
Come to think of it, has Bonham Carter really had a poor performance over the last 20 years — or has she still been a force of nature even in the face of a poor script?
And now that we think of it, Burton hasn’t really exceled since he and Bonham Carter split up, with 2014’s Big Eyes definitely trumping his last two films, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and the live-action Dumbo.
Regardless, the top three movies in our rankings are worth revisiting and especially the last two are highly rewatchable (granted that you like singing and musicals and can tolerate somewhat terrifying tropes presented in a more pleasant manner).
