Edward Scissorhands is a Beautiful Work of Art
Tim Burton and Johnny Depp Bring a Dark Fairytale to Life
Oct 30, 2009
Some of the most well-known comedies were released in the early 1990s. From the John Hughes-written Home Alone to the spider-infested Arachnophobia, many of these movies are held fondly in the hearts of adults and even some kids who grew up in the 1990s (at least they were with children who were allowed to watch PG and PG-13 rated movies, anyway).
Nostalgia can be a great thing, especially if people had some of their best memories during the times they are remembering.
There were not many characters like Edward Scissorhands during this decade, however. Starring Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder, Edward Scissorhands gives movie viewers insight into the life of an old inventor (Vincent Price) and his creation, who just so happens to be a man with scissors for hands.
Eventually, the inventor completes a pair of artificial hands to give to Edward, but the old man dies unexpectedly, leaving Edward incomplete.
Later on, Edward is found by Peg (Dianne Wiest), an Avon seller who travels to the inventor's house, curious to see what is inside. She takes Edward to her home where he meets all of the "normal" people in society and even falls in love with Peg's daughter Kim.
However, when Edward gets into trouble with the law and accidentally begins hurting people with his scissorhands, many of the townspeople shun him. How will Edward handle this and can his relationship with Kim survive until the end?
Edward Scissorhands: A Story of Love and Betrayal
Set designs and the characters' wardrobes are well put together. The townspeople usually dress in bright, light-colored clothing and live in perfectly-kept pastel houses in a white picket fence neighborhood.
Edward is a good contrast to all of this, being dressed in all black with pale, scarred skin and unruly black hair, small touches that depict him as someone who stands out in the crowd.
Many viewers will root for the characters because of their personalities. The nosy woman, shy sweetheart, beautiful girl, sensuous woman, jerk boyfriend, and more are present in Edward Scissorhands. They may seem more like archetypes, but their warmth, arrogance, cruelty, or kindness make them believable.
The scene where Peg brings Edward to her place is quite charming and laugh-out-loud thanks to the scissor-wielding man's innocence. Depp adds light-hearted qualities to the character with small things like hitting his head on the car door and poking Kim's water bed with his scissors.
The more sensual scenes with Joyce, the sexy hair dresser, are also hilarious, especially because of the character interaction (specifically with Joyce, who definitely wants Edward in more ways than just a friend) and cheesy love ballads that play on her radio.
Great acting brings these funny and heart-melting qualities out the most. Even minor characters like the inventor are endearing thanks to Vincent Price bringing a loving, grandfatherly feeling to the character even in the few minutes he was featured in the film.
The saddest scene by far has to be the dialog between Edward and Kim when they are alone together in Peg's house toward the end. The script is deeply moving at times, especially when Kim says "Hold me." and Edward replies with "I can't".
Fantastic songwriting by Danny Elfman makes the score brilliant. The opening music is very haunting and dark as the credits roll, but the best by far has to be the Ice Dance Theme that plays while Edward is making an ice sculpture and Kim dances underneath the shavings.
The sheer beauty of the slow motion camera work along with the epic music turned this entire scene into emotionally-driven perfection.
Edward Scissorhands: Improvements on an Already Great Film
There are not too many things wrong with this fantastic movie, but the fact that it is somewhat short (105 minutes long in total) might be a turn-off for some people. Plus, with more time, the love between Kim and Edward could have been patched up to be even better than it was.
Since this is supposed to be a film about love at first site, Edward falling for Kim in the very beginning is ok. However, something doesn't feel right about Kim doing a complete 180 with her feelings for Edward.
One minute she is annoyed by him and the next she feels sorry for him just because he helped her and her boyfriend break into a house. If they had fallen for each other more gradually, the writing would've been perfected.
All in all, Edward Scissorhands is a great masterpiece and is also one of Tim Burton's finest films. It is certain there will never be another one like it for some time, or maybe even forever. Mr. Burton has already stated that he doesn't plan on making a sequel, but this is for the better since this movie stands strong and proudly on its own.
Rating: 9.3/10
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