Edward Scissorhands

An artificial man with scissors for hands lives alone in a rundown mansion above his town. Brought down by a nice Avon lady, he at first is really popular with the citizens, impressed by his skills at topiary and haircutting. However, when he falls in love with a cheerleader, things start to get more complicated.

A long time ago there was a young director who made two amazing imaginative films before really finding his niche with the type of films with Batman in 1989. However, instead of cashing in on his largest success at the time, Tim Burton’s follow-up was really far from a mainstream blockbuster as it possible got. Jo Perry said in his review, “Instead, Edward Scissorhands is a touching and decidedly left-of-centre fairytale, and, even from the man who has previously brought you Pee-Wee's Big Adventure and Batman, his most whimsical film to date.”

Edward Scissorhands, played by Johnny Depp, is not a man, but a creation of The Inventor, a cameo from Vincent Price. Edward looks human enough, except for one thing…he has scissors instead of hands, and he lives alone in a rundown mansion at the peak of the street of pastel-colored houses. Kindhearted Avon lady Peg, played by Dianne Wiest, luckily finds Edward’s house and brings him down to the “real” world, where he is soon loved by her neighbors when they see the creation’s frustrated scissorhands are equally talented whether trimming hedges or making creative hairstyles. Things start to get complicated when Edward falls in love for Peg’s cheerleader daughter, played by Winona Ryder, and it is not long before the once loved creation is blamed in making a crime.

Perry credited, “One of the many successes Burton pulls off in this delightfully odd film was to cast his various players against type in this dreamlike world.” For example, Anthony Michael Hall, best known for playing the nerd in “The Breakfast Club,” succeeds here in showing a really evil person in his role as boorish boyfriend Jim, while Winona Ryder brings a soft side to her underdeveloped role as the nice girl in the town. However, it is Johnny Depp, who had previously played the typical bad boy roles, who surprised the most, making a character stuck in his incomplete body, correctly showing Edward’s frustration without saying much, his pale, scarred face showing the hurt when seeing that even the softest touch with his Freddy Krueger-like blades can hurt people.

“Edward Scissorhands,” released in 1990, definitely has flaws, focusing so much on Edward’s talent for scissorwork and leaving so many characters sidelined. However, it still is a motivated and very beautifully created fairy tale.

Tim Burton’s modern-day story succeeds greatly as sharp comedy and painfully sad romance. Perry said, “The imaginative set design and spellbinding story are both superb, but the real joys here are the performances, particularly from Depp.” It’s still one of his best roles, in a movie that is definitely one of the best fantasy films ever made.

I did know about this film for quite some time, but I never bothered watching it until about a year ago, if I’m not mistaken. I think that this film can be also watched around Christmas time, but I think that this film fits more in tune with Halloween. If you haven’t seen this, and you’re fan of Tim Burton and/or Johnny Depp, definitely don’t skip this one over because it’s a good film that is both sad and scary.

Check in Friday for what I have in store for everyone in the next review for “Halloween Month.”