Edward Scissorhands is Tim Burton’s crowning achievement, marking a significant departure from his more comic or action-oriented films that gives the eccentric aesthetic he’s known for a profound emotional gravitas. It’s also the first time Tim Burton worked with Johnny Depp, who would go on to star in seven more of his films.
Depp plays a young man with scissors for hands who is taken in by a kindhearted Avon lady. With minimal dialogue and an unassuming presence, his performance resembles a silent film actor’s. In frequent close-ups, Johnny Depp communicates so much through his sad brown eyes: confusion, child-like innocence, a broken soul. Winona Ryder plays the blonde cheerleader whom Edward falls for, and their unspoken, empathetic connection draws you into the classic story of an ostracized “beast” falling for a beauty.
Unlike Tim Burton’s other films, which often emphasize the comedic elements of his fanciful settings, this one juxtaposes the monotonous rows of pastel-colored houses with the ink-black Gothic castle where Edward lives to make thoughtful observations on societal rejection of outsiders and people with differences. There are so many moments that feel straight out of a storybook, such as when Kim twirls in the “snow” created by Edward, accompanied by Danny Elfman’s enchanting choral score.
Edward Scissorhands is not only Tim Burton’s best film, but one of the greatest modern fairy tales ever told.