Edward's Scissorhands

Once upon a time in a castle high on a hill lived an inventor whose greatest creation was named Edward. Although Edward had an irresistible charm, he wasn't quite perfect. The inventor's sudden death left him unfinished, with sharp shears of metal for hands. Edward lived alone in the darkness until one day a kind Avon lady took him home to live with her family. And so began Edward's fantastical adventures in a pastel paradise known as Suburbia. 

From Tim Burton, the director of "Sleepy Hollow" and "Mars Attacks," comes an unforgettable fairy tale about a most unusual character. Starring Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest and Vincent Prince as the Inventor.

I love this film. I would say it is entertaining, romantic, comical and haunting. Johnny Depp acted exceptionally well in this film, I can only imagine how hard it must have been to play the character Edward Scissorhands who has been trapped in a cold dark mansion most of his life. Another thing is, I like the idea of how the ''Monster'' was invented by a lonely old man and his experiments. It is basically an updated version of Frankenstein. I do feel sorry for the main character as it must be really hard to have hands made of sheers.

The whole idea of the Avon lady is great as it is a modern twist to the old tale. I don't understand how one minute she is scared of him and the next she is letting him live with her but you never get answers from films. This character realises that Edward is different and therefore, she takes him in as one of her own offering him the help and support he needs. I think to some point, she does take an advantage of Edward as a practice of makeup but she does grow an attachment and she does mean well. The fact that she takes this strange character home to show her kids and husband is just comical. Edward gets more interested in the family photo's, especially of the blonde daughter. The best thing about Edward is the fact that he looks terrifying but he is more kindhearted than most of the human characters in the story.

The makeup and costume of Johnny Depp's characters is just fantastic. It is like a nightmare with a nineties twist. The addition of Edward's skill is also a good idea (cutting bushes into shapes) as it gives the storyline some edginess. The fact that Edward then goes on to cutting hair and becoming very popular is just another twist. The character in itself is phenomenal.

The downfall of the story is when Edward becomes an outcast once again as he is being blamed for many things. Tim Burton seems to relate to Edwards story. The way he shows the acceptance of an abnormal being and then Edward loosing the popularity shows this. Also, Edward is announced as a freak, a fake and a demon. This is shown when he rejects a housewife who tries to 'get it on' with him, a teen bully who forces him into crime and when Edward tries to touch the people he loves, he makes them bleed.

Finally, Edward doesn't get what he wants in the end. He looses his loved one and begins a life of loneliness once again. The only bad thing that I could say is that the way the film was staged wasn't the best. However, Tim's ideas are brilliant. the fact that Kim (Edward's love) goes from being scared of even looking at him to falling in love with him is the most romantic even though her friends do not support the idea. She eventually comes to cherish Edward due to his devotion to her. The best scene of the film is when Edward makes an ice sculpture of her and she begins to dance in the grains of ice which are falling down - almost like snow. This is a way of Edward showing his feelings through his art. The intimacy level at this stage is beautiful. The two characters almost switch feelings as there is one point near the end of the film where Edward pulls back his arms in fear but Kim then goes ahead and wraps his scissored hands around her back showing courage. The climax is also quite wonderful. this film isn't perfect but it is 99% there.

Thanks for reading,
Lot's of Love,
Becky
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