An overrated but charming and eventually very moving fairy tale set in modern-day suburbia

Rating: 8/10 (2 May 2010)

There have been many film collaborations between filmmaker Tim Burton and actor Johnny Depp, but it all started with "Edward Scissorhands", a successful dark fantasy movie. I was a preschooler when this was released, and I remember hearing about the film and seeing a bit of it within the next few years after that. However, I never actually sat down to watch the 1990 blockbuster until 2006. At the time, I wasn't sure what I thought of the first hour or so, but found it very powerful later on! After a little over four years, I've seen the hit modern-day fairy tale again, from start to finish. I still certainly wasn't as impressed as so many other viewers definitely have been over the years, but still think it's a good first Burton/Depp collaboration.
Edward is an artificial human being who lives in a mansion up the hill from a suburban neighbourhood. This mansion was the home of his inventor, who died just before he got to finish his invention, leaving Edward incomplete, with scissors for hands! One day, a local Avon representative named Peg Boggs is not having any luck with her sales, and decides to go to the mansion to try and make a sale, not knowing who lives there. Up on the hill, she finds nobody in sight until she reaches the top floor, where she meets Edward, and it seems he has never been off the mansion property! Peg takes him back home with her, and he stays with the Avon representative, her husband Bill, young son Kevin, and teenage daughter Kim at their house. The artificial being is admired by most of the neighbours, but Kim's boyfriend, a thug named Jim, does not think too highly of him, and he could lead Edward into a load of trouble!
At the beginning of the film, we see a grandmother about to tell her granddaughter the story of Edward Scissorhands. This elderly woman is not played very well by a young actress in makeup, trying to speak in an elderly voice. After the story begins, the part where Peg Boggs discovers the mansion and searches for someone inside is a little tedious, but the mansion is a fascinating location, and the scene showing her meeting Edward for the first time can certainly grab viewers. Edward, played wonderfully by Johnny Depp, stands out as a likable character, but some of the other characters are not portrayed so well, especially Esmeralda, the Christian fanatic who thinks Edward is from hell. I honestly don't get this character! Is she meant to be funny?! If so, she's not. She's just weird, absurd, and annoying! Good thing she only has four scenes! There are also some fairly sappy moments in this film. However, most of the movie is well done. It's usually intriguing showing the protagonist's relationship with the people in the neighbourhood, and there are some other good performances, such as Winona Ryder as Kim, Vincent Price as Edward's inventor in flashback sequences, and Anthony Michael Hall as the despicable Jim. Later on, the film gets very dark, intense, and often heartbreaking, and I've never seen a character harder not to hate than the one Hall plays here! The tension and emotion at this point are unforgettable!
This first Burton/Depp collaboration is probably thought by many to be their best. It does seem to be more popular than most of the others, but I have to disagree. Unlike some people, I've found some severe flaws here, but overall, I still think it's a very good film which deserved its success, even if it's not as great as its reputation suggests. I would say the film is most effective after the first hour or so, which was what I thought the first time as well, but I think the movie as a whole was better for me the second time. It's probably a good thing I didn't see much of "Edward Scissorhands" as a kid. What I saw at the time didn't hurt, with Edward accidentally puncturing a waterbed and struggling to try and eat with his scissor hands, but it might have gotten to be a bit too much for me near the end, especially with the Jim character. Well, it was rated PG-13. I certainly wouldn't recommend this for kids, except maybe older ones, but for many adolescents and adults, I'm sure it's a worthwhile fantasy drama, with a bit of humour.