Modern Beauty and the Beast

Rating: Null/10 (5 May 2004)

Edward Scissorhands is a tragic fairytale, telling the story of a love that could never be and showing what happens when two very different worlds collide. Written and directed by Tim Burton (Big Fish, Sleepy Hollow), the plot of Edward Scissorhands all starts when Avon lady Peg Boggs, played by Dianne Wiest (Practical Magic, Footloose), desperate for a sale, ventures into a dark, scary castle, where she meets one of the late owner's creations; a man named Edward and played by Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Secret Window). However, during his creation, the elderly Inventor died and so Edward was never finished and, instead of hands, has knives and scissor blades. Wiest's character, being kind at heart, decided to take him home with her to her house in the cheery world of suburbia. From the moment he arrives, Edward has problems fitting in, but he soon finds that he has a talent that endears him to the community. All seems to be going well, even the fact that Edward develops a crush on Peg's daughter Kim, played by Winona Ryder (Mr. Deeds, Little Women).
Edward Scissorhands marks the beginning of a long, successful partnership between Tim Burton and Johnny Depp - the director and actor went on to work on another three films together, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow and the soon-to-be-released Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. These films, with the possible exception of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory share Burton's trademark subtle humour and dark, occasionally scary moments; for example, in Edward Scissorhands, the scene where we first see Edward; emerging from the shadows; dressed completely in black and with what little light there was, glinting off of his blades. He is immediately portrayed as a character to be slightly wary of. As the film goes on, we see that he doesn't mean to be violent; he can't help who he is.
The film is a modern take on the time-old story of Beauty and the Beast - Kim is the popular, beautiful girl; with the brawny, trouble-making boyfriend. Edward is the anti-social, abnormal 'beast' character - feared by the 'normal' people. The only difference between the fairy tale and Edward Scissorhands is the ending.
Overall - the film successfully tells the tale of the collision of two cultures; showing the innocent side of a character who in many ways could be seen as dangerous. It shows a doomed relationship, struggling against everything and, ultimately, leaving us, the audience, with a glimmer of hope.
It has very few bad points, apart from being slightly too light-hearted occasionally - for example, the hair cut scenes are verging on silly, however, I would recommend this film to anyone who likes films that don't necessarily follow mainstream cinema.