Edward Scissorhands
Tim Burton's skewed suburban fairytale starring Johnny Depp as the unfinished experiment who has shears instead of hands. Visually, stylistically and emotionally stunning
After finding his fantastical feet in Batman and Beetlejuice, Burton gave free reign to his imagination in this strangely cold curio. The small-minded community of a pastel-hued suburb is rocked when an Avon lady (Wiest) fosters Edward Scissorhands (Depp), the unfinished experiment of local Frankenstein, Vincent Price. A pallid, wild-haired innocent with a heart of gold and fingers of steel, Scissorhands becomes the neighbourhood's personal freakshow. He fascinates with his dextrous ability (as hairdresser, ice-sculptor etc.) and arouses strange desires in female loins. But he is never accepted into their pringle swathed hearts. Only Kim Boggs (Ryder), a companion in square-peg-round-hole ostracism, sees the beauty behind the boy's ghostly exterior and they begin a fairytale romance. Verdict With its comic-book design, 1950s chic and peerless, gothic invention, the film is a visual treat, while Depp's blinking bewilderment made his character one of the icons of the 1990s. |
