Review – Edward Scissorhands

I don’t know Tim Burton personally, but if were to guess based on his body of work, I’d say that this is his most intensely personal movie. It’s the clearest expression of his outsider-trying-to-cope theme, strongly encouraging us to cheer as the mid-century suburbs are transformed by the protagonist’s strange artistic vision. A housewife (Dianne Wiest) visits the local “haunted” castle and finds it inhabited by a mad scientist’s final creation (Johnny Depp), a nearly-complete Frankenstein’s monster with scissors for hands. Feeling sorry for the poor creature, she takes him home to meet the family, where he falls in love with the teenage daughter (Winona Ryder). At first his talents with topiary and hairdos makes him a minor celebrity, but then things start to unravel. The production is stiff and self-conscious in some spots, melodramatic in others. But overall it’s a fine example of a talented director at work. Mildly amusing