***** out of 5

Rating: Null/10 (14 August 2002)

Director Tim Burton has weaven a film here that is nothing short of a masterpiece. Every serious film buff should see this film, as it cronicles the life of "the worst director in history". Johnny Depp is superb as Edward D. Wood Jr. an up and coming director whos dream is to be the next Orsen Wells and make the next Citizen Kane, just to bad everything he makes is hated my critics world wide, he is even seen as a practical joke when he hands his movie Glen or Glenda over to the people at Warner Bros. Studios. Matrin Landau plays longtime friend and once great horror movie actor Bela Lugosi who is best known for his work as Dracula, who is portrayed here in his years where he was seen as a washed up drug addict who no one cares about anymore. Next came Bride of the Atom who's name was later changed to Bride of the Monster. But the movie flopped, people were even rioting in the theater at the movies premire and Ed and his cast had to leave because they were being attacked. Og course by that time Wood was out of money, Lugosi was in a rebhabilitation center and things were looking down. But after the death of Lugosi Ed got the opertunity to make another film through the funding of a baptist church, that he promised to be a huge blockbuster and make lots of money. That film was PLan 9 From Outer Space and it is funny because even though Lugosi is billed as the top actor he only appears in footage that was shot earlier by Wood and for the rest of the movie is a body double who wasn't allowed to show his face in the movie. It's very ironic because in the theater at the premire of Plan 9 Wood said "This is it, this is the one I'm going to be remembered for." That statement couldn't have been more true just to bad not the way Wood wanted. See it was the one he was remembered for but he was remembered for it because it was penned one of the worst movies ever made. Burton shot the film in black and white and does a fantastic job of making the movie feel like it is actually from the days of Ed Wood. Depp is great as Wood himself but it is Landau as Lugosi who steal every scene he is in, whether it be him expressing his hate for Boris Karloff (Frankenstien) or to him shooting the final scene in Bride of the Atom where he must be attacked by a giant octopus but he has to wave they tenticles around himself because someone forgot to get the motor to run the prop. The film is often times very hilarious in seeing that Wood thought he was making brillent works and mostly only did one take for each scene and in the beginning seeing how the film crew would have to run away everytime the police came around because they were filming without a permit. The mvie also has several scenes that scream satire, like whenever Wood says he has a big star to be in his movies and he tells people it is Bela Lugosi eveything thinks he is already dead and a scene where Wood asks a crew member which dress he likes and he says well I'm colour blind I can't tell the difference but I like the dark grey one. This film is nothing short of genious and even though it will not grab the attention of everyone who sees it there is no denying Burton has carved himself yet another winner.