Edward Scissorhands

Rating: 2/10 (14 February 2017)

I hadn't purposely made the decision to neglect the works of Tim Burton, yet I found myself in 2017, despite being a huge cinema fan, without ever seeing a Tim Burton feature before in my life. It was time to rectify this oversight and settle in for Edward Scissorhands. The 1990 film starring Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder exploring the life of an abandoned invention turned man left alone when his inventor passes away before he is finished. Burton had a lot to say in Edward Scissorhands, very obviously, criticizing suburban culture and the social constructs of what constitutes as "normal". His message is clear and nearly overtakes the narrative coming off as an after-school special. Nevertheless, it was time to finally "meet" Tim Burton.
On the edge of the most picturesque suburban town, there is a castle that no one visits, and the neighbors know nothing about. Inside the castle, there lived an inventor (Vincent Price) responsible for elaborate designs taking over the entire castle. His most prized invention is that of Edward (Johnny Depp). He built a man, called Edward, a person made from parts, complete except for that of his hands. His hands were left as scissors before the inventor passed away. Since his inventor's passing, he lived alone in the castle secluded from the world and left to fend for himself. Trying to see Avon products, a kind neighbor named Peg (Dianne Wiest) happened upon the castle, finding Edward. At first, Peg is frightened by Edward and his scissor hands, but she eventually understands that he is a gentle soul yearning for some human interaction. Peg decides that she can't bear to leave Edward behind, so she invites him into her family's home. Initially, her family and neighbors are taken aback at the sight of the pale, scarred, man with scissors for hands. Eventually, though, Peg's friends and family come around, and once they get to know Edward, they realize he is sweet and unique and has talents appreciated by all. After such acceptance, however, things start to go wrong and the easiest person to blame is the different outsider.
Tim Burton obviously hates suburbia, the entirety of Edward Scissorhands is his diatribe of all the problems of suburbia. He was so overt with his message that suburbia traps people, keeping them confined and limited. Burton also clearly illustrates how much being different is looked down upon, to an almost nauseating intensity. The camera angles Burton chose to use, while they were effective in creating the claustrophobic atmosphere he was going for, were uncomfortable to watch. The ratio created with the camera work he chose seemed too manipulative to appreciate. Johnny Depp was overkill with his expressions, taking one out of the film by being so distracting. The standout was the score/sound design, in an otherwise after-school special-like film far too overt with its message and seeming to make color/camera angle decisions for the director's own pleasure rather than for the audience.