Classic Fairy Tale

Rating: Null/10 (25 February 2008)

Edward Scissorhands (1990)
*** (out of 4)
Johnny Depp plays the title character, a nice man who suffers from having scissors for hands. An Avon lady (Diane Wiest) finds him in an abandoned castle and brings him home where he fits in at first but as time goes on he finds it harder to blend in with the normal people. There are a few problems with the screenplay and there are a few logical problems but this is a fantasy so I try to put them out of my head and just sit back and enjoy this rather bizarre film. I think Burton gets across his message about human nature without beating the viewer over the head and in the end this is certainly one of the more memorable films of the decade. Depp is terrific in his role and really brings a lot of truth and sadness to his character. Winona Ryder (whatever happened to her?) is great as well in her role and I've always believed she was one of the best actresses out there in this time frame. The supporting cast of Wiest, Kathy Baker and Anthony Michael Hall also turn in fine work. I love the way Burton used Vincent Price in this film as it turned out to be a very loving tribute to the horror legend. The film is visually striking and the music score by Danny Elfman is terrific. The ending of the film is very touching as well.