Edwards Scissorhands: A Movie Review
Important: This movie is rated PG-14. Please make sure you are of age to read this movie review.
A synthetic man with scissors for hands. Can you even imagine how impractical that would be? Halloween just passed, but it’s still not too late to catch up on movies such as this darkly sweet fantasy classic by Tim Burton. With hints of satire comedy throughout, the story of innocent Edward is told masterfully in Burton’s iconic style.
The story begins on a winter night, with a grandma telling her grandchild a fairytale about how the snow was once created. As she explains, we are teleported into the whimsical world of Edwards Scissorhands. It is set in the 70s in an inspired Barbie-looking suburban town, with pastel-colored houses and their ordinary residents. Contrastingly, there is a reclusive Gothic castle located right on top of the hill above, overlooking the entire town. There lives an artificial man unknown to all, who happens to have scissors instead of hands. He was created by a bizarre but amiable inventor, who tragically dies right before he could give Edward actual hands. Edward is therefore isolated from the rest of the world, until that one day he is miraculously discovered.
Peg Boggs (Dianne Wiest), the perky Avon saleswoman, while trying to sell some of her beauty products, accidentally comes across the odd-looking Edward. Once she sees how harmless he is – for a man with razor sharp-blades as hands, she decides to take him in. Being the caring person that she is, she accepts him into the Boggs household. He quickly becomes popular among the neighbors with his special talents thanks to his scissor hands. However, things take a darker turn after a couple of misjudgments and incidents.
The most memorable scene from the movie, of course, is the scene in which Winona Ryder’s character dances under the snow created by Edward sculpting his ice angel, accompanied by the hauntingly beautiful background score by the talented Danny Elfman. This bittersweet moment will always have a soft spot in our hearts. Another touching scene from the movie is when Edward wants to hug Kim (Winona Ryder) but cannot as he is afraid to hurt her. It’s one of those moments where you want to clutch your heart and throw it out the window.
One interesting fact is that Edward only spoke 169 words in total for the entire movie. Johnny Depp’s acting was beyond the script; his slight nods and smiles gave the audience a greater perspective of Edward’s personality than big monologues would have. He managed to accurately portray how it feels to be labeled as an outcast, and how difficult it can be to assimilate into the plastic expectations of a vilifying society. This is actually a personal metaphor for Burton’s own childhood in which he was ostracized for his unique creativity.
What I love about this movie is its juxtaposition of many things and the many ways they can be interpreted. Edward being gullible, for example, causes him to be painfully misunderstood multiple times in the movie, and his innocence is used against him. Edward’s freakish appearance also contrasts with his shy and caring personality. Additionally, his inability to touch anything clashes with his loving-nature. The most noticeable one is the differing lifestyles of the gossip-loving ones who live in the pastel houses, and the quiet, isolated life of Edward in his eerie chateau.
The only downside of the entire movie is the ending for me. It’s actually my fault for expecting a happily-ever-after… It’s not really a children’s movie after all. Although the ending wasn’t perfect, it’s definitely worth watching – hats off to the brilliant cast. I can guarantee that you will fall in love with the delicate Edward, laugh, shed a few tears, and be amazed by one of Burton’s finest.
