"Edward Scissorhands"

Rating: 10/10 (9 November 2005)

No matter what you may think of him, there's no question of director Tim Burton's gift for imagination, invention, and his mastery of storytelling. He also specializes in freaks (or more pleasantly, misunderstood outsiders); if you've seen "Beetlejuice" (1988), "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" (1985), "Batman" (1989) and his critical masterpiece "Edward Scissorhands" (1990), then you realize it's the truth. "Edward Scissorhands," often cited as Burton's most personal work, transcends its fairy-tale origins to become something far greater, like a mature cinematic masterpiece. Only true Burton devotees know why the film is so celebrated today, 15 years after it was released. Though Burton has made two better critical efforts since this one (1994's "Ed Wood" and 2003's "Big Fish"), it is "Edward Scissorhands" that stands as his most delicate and greatest masterwork. The film takes place in some quaint, unnamed suburb (that looks like something straight out of a '50s supermarket real estate guide), where local Avon lady Peg (Dianne Wiest), desperate for a sale, stumbles up to the dark castle located on the hill looming over her neighborhood. On her way up to the door, she finds the garden and the magnificent artistic creations housed in it. Once inside, she finds the remains of a factory and its sole occupant, Edward (Johnny Depp). The greatest, yet unfinished creation of his late scientific inventor (the late Vincent Price, in one of his last roles), Edward is a sort of Frankenstein monster, only he's not built from human body parts and he is not an object of horror but more of sympathy: The Inventor died before he could give Edward real hands, so he's stuck forever with these "scissor-hands." Peg invites him to live with her family down in the 'burbs, but she is in no way put off by his "hands," which are comprised of razor-sharp knives and blades. I guess I shouldn't say it takes a while for Edward to grow accustomed to his new surroundings, but the locals are quite welcoming and warm to him (he even takes on the tasks of pet grooming, sheering, and eventually, salon styling). Why, he approaches adorability in this sweet, conformist society! There are others, however, like the native Christ-nut, sees foreboding in Edward's arrival, and Jim (Anthony Michael Hall), who is the rich, selfish and arrogant son of a local businessman, and who also happens to be the boyfriend of Peg's pretty teenage daughter Kim (Winona Ryder), sees menace in innocence. Edward is kind and benevolent but he's also human (somewhat), and is capable of anger and rage and it isn't long before various misunderstandings allow this dark side of his character to surface. Long before he was Jack Sparrow, Depp was Edward Scissorhands in one of the most recognizable roles of his career; who could have seen him becoming the top-notch performer he is today? As the harmless Edward, his face is scarred by the many scratches of his scissor-hands, making him incapable of touching anything or anyone for fear of destroying it. He has minimal lines but delivers his performance through calculated mannerisms and facial expressions. It's probably one of his first great roles. As for director Burton, he indulges in his usual cinematic weirdness (is there any other kind?), but it's given a strong emotional and human touch with a light dose of comic fare, which manages to separate it from earlier substance works like "Beetlejuice" or "Batman." He focuses mainly on the characters, and their reaction to the misunderstood outsider, and his reluctant acceptance, more or less, into their world. "Batman" remains my favorite Burton piece, but "Edward Scissorhands" is probably the best film he's made so far (from a fan's perspective). "Edward Scissorhands" is a dark, comic fable come to life, and lives forever and ever, long after the lights in the theater come back on.
10/10