Review of Ed Wood (1994) by Blake P — 07 Aug 2012

"Ed Wood" is an unusual biopic. But I mean that in a good way. When you have Tim Burton and Johnny Depp teaming up, you're of course going to get some great results, but when the film itself is about the seriously strange 1950's film director, Edward D.

Wood Jr., we luckily get some wonderfully weird but heartwarming results. Filmed in black-and-white, "Ed Wood" really captures the sleaze that came across in the infamously bad director's films, but it also gives the film a truly sensational touch that makes the film feel authentically vintage.

To really get a kick out of the film, you have to see some of Edward D. Wood Jr.'s movies, or at least read about them. "Ed Wood" shows the making of three of his movies, "Glen or Glenda", "Bride of the Monster", and "Plan 9 from Outer Space" as the climax.

Tim Burton redoes these scenes with authenticity, and anybody whose seen the films will have a great appreciation for it. Burton directs with a humorous touch, and though it doesn't have the same unusual qualities as most of his other films, he keeps the film funny and fresh, and the whole time Depp plays Ed Wood with sincerity while Landau plays Lugosi with sympathy and clearness.

As We see Ed Wood's adventures throughout making these movies, we also get to see his relationships with Bela Lugosi (Landau), Dolores Fuller (Parker), Kathy O'Hara (Arquette) and others, and throughout this we get an inside look on how his movies were even made.

It may not be the most historically accurate film, but it's so funny and charming that it doesn't matter. Even if this was a fictional movie, this would still be a winning film. "Ed Wood" is so great-- I can't imagine any director but Burton making it.

He makes the sleazy world of B-movie filmmaking sweet and touching, and everybody involved in the film seems to be having a great time.