Review of Edward Scissorhands (1990) by Spangle — 14 Jul 2016

From the wild and wacky mind of Tim Burton comes Edward Scissorhands, a tragic and charming look at a man with scissors for hands. A film that only Burton could make, his direction is as sound as usual and he manages to evoke considerable sympathy for this tragic figure who is, otherwise, a normal man but cursed to live his days with scissors as hands.

Johnny Depp does a great job bringing this man to life and brings a certain tenderness and has fantastic chemistry with Winona Ryder when it comes to the romantic element of the film. The writing is incredibly strong and, together with Burton's direction, keeps this one reined in and keeps it from getting out of control when it easily could have with such a crazy premise.

The characters are well developed and truly multi-dimensional. Edward Scissorhands' portrayal of suburban life also feels delightfully and quintessentially late 80s, early 90s and really serves as a perfect backdrop for the introduction of such a weird and unique person.

Though I may be one of the few to have never seen Edward Scissorhands, it is truly timeless and will live on for a long, long time due to its fairy tale and thematic elements that really are universal and its ability to be both unique, yet incredibly stirring, tragic, and moving.

This one is Tim Burton at his very finest.