Review of Edward Scissorhands (1990) by Jamesdrawsthngs — 10 Sep 2020

Tim Burton doesn’t have the staying power with me that he once did. When I think of modern Burton I tend to think of very drab, heavily CG’d, washed out looking films that tend to oversell on the “dark and whimsical” style that he was once a pioneer of.

It’s such a shame that I dread seeing any new movie of his because I know, deep down, that he still has the potential of creating great, fantastical films. When I think of Tim Burton, I think fondly of the days of Batman ’89, Beetlejuice, Ed Wood and, most personally, Edward Scissorhands.

It’s a film I grew up watching as a kid on my mom’s laserdisc. I was intrigued by the look of the film, the music, and Edward himself. It had been many years since I have seen this movie to completion, and as an adult I have been able to gain a newfound appreciation for it.

The story follows the titular Edward Scissorhands, a lonely, incomplete creation of a professor (played by Vincent Price) who is discovered by local suburban saleswoman Peg Boggs. Feeling sympathy for Edward, she takes him back to her home in a suburban neighborhood filled with incredibly nosey housewives that are smitten by this mysterious person.

Edward quickly finds a place for himself, creating hedge art for the people and even as their hair stylist. Edward also falls for Peg’s daughter Kim, who is uncertain of Edward at first but slowly starts to care for him.

The whole movie plays out like a gothic fairytale (it helps that the story is being told as a bedtime story), and the movie positively drips with Burton’s signature style. Edward’s intimidating presence heavily contrasts with the uniform, pastel-colored suburban neighborhood.

He epitomizes the types of characters Burton tends to gravitate towards: the misunderstood misfit that may look strange, but is a gentle soul. Danny Elfman’s fantastic score helps to sell the film’s gothic fairytale feel, perfectly encapsulating Edward’s mood and state of mind in any given situation.

The suburban neighbors are appropriately nosey, immediately infatuated with Edward but just as quickly are able to turn on him the second he makes a mistake. This would be the first of many collaborations between Burton and Johnny Depp, and this was a damn strong start.

Depp is great in this film, perfectly capturing the innocence and awkwardness that Edward displays. Winona Ryder is great as Kim, and I even liked Anthony Michael Hall as Kim’s dirt bag boyfriend Jim.

Everyone in the film is great, for that matter, even Vincent Price for as little screen-time as he gets portrays the same level of kindness that Edward carries over. Of course, I can’t forget to mention Stan Winston’s fantastic make-up and scissor effects for Depp.

Edward’s look has become iconic and still unique among the rest of Burton’s catalogue. There only a few gripes I have with the film, like people for some reason not immediately helping him with basic tasks that he obviously can’t do with scissor hands.

It’s usually played up for comedic affect but the entire time I couldn’t help but say, “Help him already!” These gripes are minor in the grand scheme of things, though. As far as discussing Tim Burton’s filmography is concerned, this easily in the top 5 in my opinion.

Everything you need to know about him is on display in Edward Scissorhands. After all these years, I still think this movie is wonderful and it absolutely comes recommended not just for fans of Tim Burton, but just for being a good, well-rounded movie.