Burton's Great Tragedy

Rating: 8/10 (19 October 2005)

This was Johnny Depp's breakthrough performance, the first of his many offbeat roles and his first collaboration with Tim Burton. Edward (Depp) is an unfinished creation who has blades where his hands should be and has been living in solitude since the inventor who made him (Vincent Price) died. This all changes when a certain Avon lady calls.
Edward's introduction to the neighbourhood is done with great humour, when he bangs his head against the car window is one of my favourite film moments. Tim Burton is on top form regarding the village and its inhabitants. The landscape is vibrant and imaginative and all the villagers are quirky in their own special way.
Edward's inevitable downfall and the villagers' rejection of him when things go wrong encourages great sympathy from the audience and is also where Edward's live in family shine. Alan Arkin and Diane Weist are both good actors and handle their roles very well. The romance between Edward and Winona Rider's character is very poignant and diverts this film from comedy to tragedy very quickly.
This is possibly Johnny Depp's best performance. He is terrific at portraying a character unsure how to convey emotion and shows a great sense of innocence. The naivety of Edward is what makes the audience love him despite it making him vulnerable to Jim's anger and Joyce's advances.
Danny Elfman's score does well to add to the dark element of the film and makes it a lot more like a fairy tale. In my opinion, this is Tim Burton's best film and wonderfully captures the imagination of adults and children. The film does well to provoke emotional extremes and lasts in the mind for a long time after being watched.