Reviews Film / Edward Scissorhands

The best of Burton.

The fact that the only thing most people know about this film is that Edward has scissor hands is criminal.

This movie is beautiful and melancholy. Basically, it's a time update of Frankenstein (the book), with the premise being "what if a gentle-hearted soul who happens to be a slasher-type monster was introduced into society?" The story itself is refreshingly honest and realistic about the pitfalls of the scenario this represents as commentary on the complexity about relations with disabled people, though by the end it seems more like a parable about mental rather than physical disability. The tone feels correct for the scenario they worked with.

Edward is an incomplete man-made man with multiple deadly scissors for hands, taken in by a kind makeup saleslady and brought into suburban life, where he makes friends, falls in love, and faces adversity. He's a fantastic monster design and the hands serve as a great disability, something initially strange and perhaps frightening, but they don't make him completely limited. This film could have easily abused his hands as a comedic gimmick, but his struggles are more sad than anything, which is the right call. He's not tortured, but it's clear that even though he looks like a threat, he's really just trying to figure things out.

Also, what a fantastic Burton debut for Johnny Depp. Depp as a person is hard to parse or love, but his Edward remains a fantastic performance. Awkward and shy, yet artistic and soulful, purely innocent, but mostly silent, you get so so much out of the character, and he's honestly adorable as well. Just his face and body language alone are enough to carry the story, and just the little touches like the way he walks and "runs" really make him feel developed. He's a bit lost in the suburban society he finds himself in, but he does have some keen understanding beyond people's expectations.

What sets the film apart from Frankenstein is the reaction to the scary artificial man. In this story, there are people who see past the exterior and love and accept Edward throughout the story, and the force of hostility emerges rather than being present at the start. The film also explores the conditional side of "tolerance" with Edward being treated as a novelty by some and then shunned when he turns out to be more complicated.

The scissor hands themselves deserve their credit in the opening titles. They were surprisingly functional considering the fact that they are genuinely used for several shots.

This film hits all the right beats and has good points to make about inclusion and disability. This is an instant favorite for me.