Biopic from the heart

Rating: 8/10 (7 July 2016)

You can't imagine anyone else but Tim Burton making this heartfelt tribute to the man they call "the worst director of all time". It's a great film, deftly tying tragedy, romance, comedy and drama into what has to be one of the best biopics ever made. Burton successfully recreates what it may have been like to be Edward D. Wood, Jr. and also accurately portrays what the '50s may have been like for a low-budget movie maker. Many of the scenes are intentionally funny because of the things that happen to Wood and his pals and because of his sheer audacity as a film-maker, and it's not often that I get a genuine smile on my face while watching a film like this.
The acting is of the highest order, especially from Johnny Depp with another character he makes his own. Martin Landau puts in a superb performance as Bela Lugosi, with the help of some realistic makeup effects from Rick Baker, and deservedly won a best supporting actor Oscar for his turn. Sarah Jessica Parker and Patricia Arquette are the long-suffering girlfriends; Bill Murray excels as a camp friend who wants to have sex-change operation; Lisa Marie is the spitting image of Vampira; Jeffrey Jones is hilarious as Criswell and everybody else puts in a spirited turn.
Of Wood's films, I've only seen PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE at the moment, yet Burton's portrayal of the making of the film comes very close to what actually happens in the film; I'm sure the same can be said for his on-set recreations of GLEN OR GLENDA and BRIDE OF THE MONSTER. Filming it in black and white was a touch of genius as well. ED WOOD is a film for Burton fans; Depp fans; Wood fans; fans of movie-making; '50s cinema; anybody with an interest in the movies and who knows who Wood was. A moving and amusing tale of blood, sweat and tears and one man's dream versus a harsh reality.