EDWARD SCISSORHANDS

I probably saw this film when it came out, but if so it made zero impact.  Given that it was a commercial and critical hit I thought I should check it out again.

I associate director Tim Burton with dark, gothic material (such as 'Batman') so I was surprised that for much of the running time this fantasy is light and airy. 

Edward (Johnny Depp) is stuck in a castle until Peg (Dianne Wiest) arrives and welcomes him into her home and family.  She's not at all bothered that he's a synthetic creature with large scissor blades for hands.  

In fact everyone in her community takes a liking to Edward right from the off.  That's not terribly believable but it's OK because this is a fantasy version of suburban America, complete with pastel-coloured houses.

Whilst Edward's 'hands' are an obstacle to carrying out simple tasks, providing some Chaplinesque humour (such as Edward trying valiantly to eat peas), they are incredibly deft at topiary, and coiffure, whether for local dogs or their female owners (men don't figure much in this world).  

This is all presented in a comedic way, and the only story arc of any significance is the growing bond between Edward and Peg's teenage daughter Kim (Winona Ryder at her most dewy-eyed).

The only person who doesn't like Edward is Kim's oafish boyfriend Jim.

There is then a very clunky change of gears as the film enters its third act, starting with Edward getting roped into helping Jim rob his own parents.  It's a highly implausible plot contrivance which sets the neighbourhood against Edward when he is caught and made the fall guy.

There is then a rapid escalation of hostility, leading to a final confrontation in which Edward deliberately and shockingly kills Jim.  The film ends with Edward back to where he started, sentenced to living out his life alone in the castle, the locals believing that he too is dead.

Tonally then the film ends up all over the place, and I can't say I found it dramatically satisfying. This is not to deny that all the performances are fine, even including Vincent Price, who we see in flashbacks as Edward's creator.  Considering he is not given much dialogue and that he is buried under a lot of makeup Depp does well to make Edward such a memorable presence.

Not for the first time I'm out of step with the majority of critics, who loved this variation on Frankenstein (90% on Rotten Tomatoes).

But thankfully the ever astute Roger Ebert shared my scepticism, opining that "Burton has not yet found the storytelling and character-building strength to go along with his pictorial flair." I think it’s fair to say that Burton has still yet to find it.  

Like me, Ebert was singularly unimpressed with the contrived and unimaginative ending.

So I'm still not a member of the Tim Burton Fan Club and I'm guessing I never will be.

RATING: ✓ Cheers