Arguably Tim Burton's best film.

Rating: 10/10 (3 May 2004)

Tim Burton will always be one of my favourite directors. His unique visual style and imagination always translates well to the big screen. He is always an inspiration to me as an aspiring writer. Edward Scissorhands is my favourite Tim Burton film, because this beautiful combination of Frankenstein and Beauty and the Beast is such an enchanting story.
Set in suburbia, local Avon Lady Peg Boggs (Dianne Wiest) is making her annual rounds. She notices the Gothic mansion on top of the mountain overlooking the town. When she gets there, she finds a beautiful garden where the hedges and topiary have been cut and shaped to resemble animals and dinosaurs amongst other things. On the inside, Peg finds rusted inventions and assembly lines. But upstairs, she finds the most amazing sight of all, a man who has scissors for hands.
The man is called Edward (Johnny Depp) and it would seem he has been alone for many years. Peg decides the best thing for him is to come home with her. Edward is very curious about the outside world, but because he's had no contact with outsiders (ironic considering he is one) he is unprepared for the range of emotions he will feel, or the chain of events that will follow.
The townspeople are initially welcoming, and the women are particularly interested in Edward, especially since he can make a lot of creations out of their hedges. He can also do dogs, as well as womens' hairstyles. But it becomes apparent Edward is little more than a sideshow attraction to be gawked at by these people.
Things become complicated when Edward meets Peg's daughter Kim (Winona Ryder). He falls instantly in love with her, but can't open up to her, especially since he could never touch her without hurting her. The attraction eventually becomes mutual, angering her boyfriend Jim (Anthony Michael Hall in a brilliantly loutish role) considerably.
Things begin to change for Edward when Jim uses him to break into his wealthy father's house to sell a few things. But Edward gets locked in, and is subsequently arrested.
Edward feels anger for the first time in his life, after being set up by Jim. This starts to turn the townspeople against Edward. Gradually, he comes to realise that he has no place with them. This incident reveals the underlying prejudice they have had against him all along. Things go downhill from there, and Edward has no choice but to go back into isolation.
Johnny Depp is perfectly cast as Edward, bringing a gentle fragility and wide-eyed innocence to the role. He is in a world he can't properly comprehend. Tim Burton modelled Edward on himself. He is like him in so many ways, with his unbridled creativity and uniqueness in the outside world.
Winona Ryder is very good, because her relationship with Edward is so heartbreaking. No matter how much they might want each other, the reality of the situation is they can never be together. Edward and Kim are just too different to ever really be a couple.
Edward Scissorhands also bears close similarities to Pee Wee's Big Adventure, because we are once again presented with Tim Burton's vision of suburbia. The pastel coloured bungalows are bizarre in the extreme, and we also have another outsider who doesn't fit in with the ordered lives suburbanites live day in and day out.
The hedge trimmings and topiary are just beautiful, as well as the ice sculptures Edward creates. This involves one of the most magical scenes in the film, when Kim is dancing in the snow coming off the ice being sculpted.
Some of the best scenes in the film involve Edward and his inventor (Vincent Price in a wonderful final role). These are revealed to us in a series of flashbacks, and show Edward's creation and maturity.
Edward started out as a machine chopping vegetables on an assembly line. The Inventor decided to make him into a man, and started to teach Edward about etiquette and poetry.
But sadly, Edward was unfinished. The Inventor died of old age before he had a chance to give Edward a pair of normal hands. I dare anyone to watch that scene without feeling like crying. It is so poignant and full of understated emotion.
At the films conclusion is the final confrontation between Edward and Jim. It is almost like a duel for Kim's hand. This is where Edward and Kim must sadly go their separate ways. It's certainly brave for a modern day fairytale to have a sad ending, and is a testament to Tim Burton's creativity.
The musical score by Danny Elfman is both haunting and whimsical. The visual style is superb, and the story compelling to the very end. The closing scene is very magical, and is everything I have come to expect from Tim Burton. Edward Scissorhands will go down in legend as one of the greatest stories ever brought to the big screen.