Black-and-white, and full of colour...

Rating: 8/10 (7 November 2008)

ED WOOD is essentially a biopic about a guy who is listed as the 'Worst Director of All Time' and whose biggest movie PLAN NINE FROM OUTER SPACE was labelled 'one of the worst movies ever made'. So there's no reason why this wouldn't generate a significant cult following, as viewers would flock to it 'just because...'.
The movie itself, shot entirely in black-and-white, is pretty decent. The screen writing is above par and goes to great lengths to examine the complexities of directing and producing a movie with little or no capital at one's disposal. Tim Burton was suitably billed to direct this feature, and his homage to the vintage science-fiction/horror is a testament to fine movie-making. To me, Burton is just one of those guys who revels in the extraordinary.
Johnny Depp is brilliant as the cross-dressing, mediocre writer/director/producer/actor Ed Wood who became renowned for the unbelievable speed with which he shot movies (not bothering to re-shoot scenes even where there are obvious flaws), but to me, the real star of the show is Martin Landau, who plays the once famous Bela Lugosi, a man who is now aging, addicted to morphine, and haunted by loneliness and lost fame. Landau deservedly picked up an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor and, as Lugosi, steals almost every scene in which he appears, such that there is a considerable drop-off in excitement every time the movie switches focus away from his character. This leads me to wonder if the film should have focused more on Lugosi than Wood...
The costume design, set design, and makeup are simply superb, and the Oscar won for Best Makeup was well-justified. Film-makers in the future would do well to follow the design aspects of this Motion Picture.
In conclusion, the movie is slightly better-than-good, but rarely reaches the pinnacles of greatness. The nature of the subject will undoubtedly continue to draw a serious cult following and it is no surprise that this movie is featured in IMDb's Top 250 (as I write it stands at #192). The movie is quite entertaining and watchable for most of its ~125 minute run-time.
Deserving of 3 stars (out of 4) and a rating of 8/10. I have no problem placing this film in my 'Honourable Mention' list. Recommended.