Monday, January 30, 2012

Edward Scissorhands Review

Well, I was bound to review a Tim Burton film at some point, so it might as well be now. Edward Scissorhands is a film that really shows the true darkness that is a Tim Burton film. It was one of his first films, and it truly is one of a kind. With stunning visuals, satisfactory acting, and a brilliant story, Edward Scissorhands cuts through the ordinary, and I will be sure to tell you why. I have some very interesting points about this film, especially the plot, which I intend to explain right now! Let the movie mania begin!

Edward Scissorhands was released in 1990, and stars Johnny Depp, Vincent Price, Winona Ryder, Diane Wiest and Anthony Michael Hall. It is essentially about a young man named Edward (Depp) who was created by an old inventor (Price). I know what you are thinking Vincent Price sure does work in mysterious ways because he got to play god in this movie! Anyway, because the inventor died, Edward was left unfinished with scissors for hands. Years later, an Avon sales representative (Wiest) who I swear loves to wave her hands around a bit too much, finds Edward in his old mansion, and decides to bring him home with her, which starts a lot of gossip and crazy events that happen one after the other. Edward also has his sights set on a beautiful teenage girl named Kim (Ryder) who is already taken by a big buff jerk named Jim (Hall).
One major message that I received from this film is the fact that society cannot handle change. They may think they do, but they can't no matter how hard they try because change can affect the daily grind. Edward changed each of their lives, and because of his innocence and youth he was easily taken advantage of, but also easily feared and hated.

LIKES
  • The atmosphere of the film is one of my favorite parts. There is such a contrast between Edward's home and the suburb that is below it. The suburb is so bright and vibrant, while Edward's mansion is dark and grim. However, the suburb seems to have so many vibrant colors, that there is a darkness to it because it seems too good to be true. 
  • Johnny Depp is an amazing actor, but especially in this film because he was able to basically play a gentle and innocent man. I barely recognized him as well. This was not just because of the make up, but also the way he played the character. He seemed so soft spoken, and genuine. 
  • Anthony Michael Hall played a great villain. If you are supposed to play a bad guy, and you make me hate you, then you are doing your job as an actor. His character is the kind of guy that cannot handle change. As soon as he saw Edward come into the mix, and Kim's reaction to him, Hall's character became extremely jealous.
  • The score is fantastic! It just adds to the overall darkness of the film. It makes the plot of the film that much more epic and grand.
DISLIKES
  • You know I don't have anything against Dianne Wiest, but for some reason I could not stand her in this movie. She was just too nice for me, and sometimes she really got on my nerves, especially when she nodded after everything nice thing that she said to Edward . It just looked like she was trying to hard to be an innocent character. I also didn't like how she was not in the ending, which was confusing to me because she was the one who brought Edward down in the first place. 
  • Alan Arkin's character was also extremely annoying. He played Kim's father, and he was just too bitter sometimes, especially when he didn't take the time to really understand Edward as a person. He only cared about what he did as a tool. 
OVERALL
This film is great! It is one of my favorite Tim Burton films, and I think Burton really started to come into his own after this movie. Don't believe me? Well watch The Nightmare Before Christmas, and maybe you will see some similarities at least in atmosphere.

RATING 8/10 Yeah it has its annoying actors, but it is still a great movie with an awesome lead actor! Good job Johnny Depp! 


Well that is it from me once again! I will be reviewing a new movie next week, but until then this is Movie Maniac saying Happy Watching!

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