Edward D. Wood Jr. was just awfully great

Rating: 9/10 (18 January 2001)

It is clear from this movie that Tim Burton is a big fan and admirer of Ed Wood's career (this and of course Mars Attacks). The movie was made with such an enormous amount of affection that clearly shows on the screen. Ed Wood is portrayed as this endlessly optimistic filmmaker who doesn't mind that his movies are way below average, he loves them and that's what counts in the end.
The one performance that really jumps right into your face when watching this movie is the role of Bela Lugosi, played to perfection by Martin Landau. His portrayal of the legendary horror actor was very moving and sincere. Of course Johnny Depp was awesome as always in the role of Ed Wood, his wide-eyed fervor while pitching his scripts is hilarious.
I especially loved the "cameo" of Orson Welles, this was done to such great believability that it was hard to see that this was really Vincent d'Onofrio sitting there playing the legendary director.
This is a must for anybody who recognizes that Ed Wood's movies are both hilariously bad and on the other hand a lesson that everybody can make movies if you just don't think about it too much. He is the only man who could have said that in every film encyclopedia he has gotten no stars whatsoever but still has cult status. Hail the king of crap!!!
9/10