Edward Scissorhands 1990

AN ADULT FAIRYTALE WITH GREAT CHARACTERIZATION

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:white_check_mark: Things that pass: Characters, Look, Music, Pacing, Novelty, Memorability, Replay value

Tim Burton’s classic film is a fairytale for adults, a mix of the boringly every day and the weirdly fantastical, like a 90s version of The Shape of Water (2018).
The first of a long line of strange or unusual performances from Johnny Depp; it’s odd, but also warm and humane.
Depp’s performance is mostly expressive and remains one of his very best.
Winona Ryder is lovely as the co-lead, particularly in how her relationship with Edward grows and changes her.
Dianne Wiest and Alan Arkin are wonderful parents; supportive of Edward all the way, even when the rest of the world turns against him.
I absolutely adore the sharp contrast between the colorful and streamlined Avon and the gothic environment of Edward’s castle.
One of Danny Elfman’s best film scores; it’s fantastical, mysterious, and supports Burton’s film perfectly.
This story mixes a very typical fairytale narrative, with important emotional and moral lessons, with a slightly more lighthearted and humorous tone not often found in Burton’s gothic films.
Burton allows us to slowly grow to like Edward and Kim, which makes the emotional connection to the characters and their personal journeys stronger.
The last act masterfully throws everything that has been established so far out the window; things turn dark and depressing as a series of misfortunes suddenly turns Edward into a monster.
I love how well Burton raises the emotional stakes in the climax.

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:part_alternation_mark: Things that fall in between: Story, Emotions, Excpectations

There’s not much of a plot until Winona Ryder makes her entrance about halfway through.
Narratively, this film stays pretty safe and doesn’t twist or turn a familiar plot structure at all.
The love story between Edward and Kim mostly stands on shaky legs before being fast-tracked for the final act.
Considering the beautiful relationships it establishes throughout the film, Edward Scissorhands doesn't hit as hard emotionally as I expected.

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:x: Things that don't pass: N/A

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7 passes, 3 in-betweens, 0 no passes = 8,5/10

Very enjoyable.

It's funny the way we picture things in our minds. I had heard of 'Edward Scissorhands' but actually knew very little about it, typified by the fact I was expecting this to be very dark - probably just based on the seeing the cover here and there. It's much sillier than expected, but in a positive way.

I do kinda end up wishing they went down a more dark/creative route, instead of relying on the novelty of having scissors as hands; though, to be fair, they do touch on the deeper side a bit. With that said, I did get a good amount of entertainment seeing this plot unfold. It's weird and wonderful.

Johnny Depp is a great actor and is very good here, mainly via his facial expressions and body language. It's cool to see Winona Ryder involved, someone I've thoroughly enjoyed in more recent times in 'Stranger Things'. Alan Arkin and Anthony Michael Hall also appear.

The film looks neat, as I've come to expect from Tim Burton. It has the obvious touch of Bo Welch to it, with the neighbourhood looking not too dissimilar to what Welch would create for 2003's 'The Cat in the Hat' - which I, truly, enjoyed.

Undoubtedly worth a watch.