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Critics Consensus: The first collaboration between Johnny Depp and Tim Burton, Edward Scissorhands is a magical modern fairy tale with gothic overtones and a sweet center.
Critic Consensus: The first collaboration between Johnny Depp and Tim Burton, Edward Scissorhands is a magical modern fairy tale with gothic overtones and a sweet center.
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All Critics (58) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (52) | Rotten (6) | DVD (10)
An original movie, though not Tim Burton's best.
A delightful and delicate comic fable.
It remains curiously hollow.
Mr. Burton invests awe-inspiring ingenuity into the process of reinventing something very small.
Burton's richly entertaining update of the Frankenstein story is the year's most comic, romantic and haunting film fantasy.
Depp is perfectly cast, Burton builds a surrealistically funny cul-de-sac world, and there are some very funny performances from grownups Dianne Wiest, Kathy Baker and Alan Arkin.
Watching the film is like turning the pages of a small child's book which has very pretty pictures and two lines of large print spelling out the story.
With Burton's surreal illustrative ingenuity, Depp and Ryder's career-making performances, and a story filled with simplicity, complexity, and intangible wizardry that stands the test of time, Edward Scissorhands is one of the greatest films ever made.
Depp cuts a haunting figure, while Wiest is typically excellent. The rest of the actors are forced to play characters who are either underdeveloped or overcooked, and the broadness of Burton's approach eventually leads to a wholly unsatisfying resolution.
Burton's modern fairytale has an almost palpably personal feel: it is told gently, subtly and with infinite sympathy for an outsider who charms the locals but then inadvertently arouses their baser instincts.
Between this masterpiece and that other Ed (Wood), TIm Burton and Johnny Depp are at their dual-career best. Ed Wood is about how insane Hollywood is -- and Edward Scissorhands delivers the pure magic that, once in a rare while, escapes the place.
...perhaps the cinema's most enchanting parable about the misunderstood and alienated artist.
Here is the purest and most eloquent expression of Tim Burton's reoccurring 'outsider' theme to date. I could do without the reflective framing device (mainly due to the frankly unsettling old version of Kim, both in terms of acting and make up), but the film succeeds hugely as a tender modern fairytale. Danny Elfman's heartbreaking score also deserves a special mention.
Super Reviewer
Brings many laughs and also touches the soul. The start of many great collaborations. Tim Burton's films are bizarre, yes, but they are full of heart (most of them, at least). I love the setting, with all the different colored houses full of weird neighbors. It's interesting to see Edward interact with everyone. A classic in its own right.
Remember when Tim Burton was original? Well this was one of the BEST films to come out of Burton's skull. Johnny Depp is a great actor and this was hands down one of his best characters. This film had heart, drama, and most importantly a PLOT!
Kim: You see, before he came down here, it never snowed. And afterwards, it did. If he weren't up there now... I don't think it would be snowing. Sometimes you can still catch me dancing in it. "His scars run deep." A film this bizarre can only be conceived from the mind of Tim Burton. The character he creates, Edward(an invention that wasn't finished and is left with scissors for hands), is original to a point, but it is still a character we have seen before. This is the Frankenstein, Pinocchio hybrid. Edward is a soft spoken young... whatever. He is kind as can be. He cuts the neighbors shrubs for them, and soon ends up cutting their pets hair and soon all of theirs. He's a character that easily could find a place in some twisted slasher, but throwing a character like him into a film like this is what makes Tim Burton so interesting. Now, Edward Scissorhands is every bit the accomplishment I had heard it was. It's got all the Burton staples. It has times of humor and sadness, and is grounded in fantasy, but the characters seem like they are from our world(Well, other than Edward). Then there's the production value, which you always look for in a Burton film. Like usual, it's off the charts. The shrubbery is amazing, and the way he twists the real world and Edwards world together is also very cool. There's a great score from Danny Elfman, and a great performance from Johnny Depp; both of which are staples of a lot of Burton's films. There are a lot of people out there that believe this is Burton's finest film. I don't believe that is true, but I can see where they are coming from. The film is really wonderful. It's fantastic storytelling, combined with amazing filmmaking. The result is another terrific film from Burton. I would put Ed Wood, Beetlejuice, and Batman above it, but you still can't go wrong with this one. It's a beloved classic that will be loved by new generations for a long time to come. One of a kind.
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