"Edward Scissorhands"

Burton's Suburban Fairy Tale

Tim Burton's "Edward Scissorhands" is a modern fable about a young "man" who finds life and love, then has the cup dashed from his hand because he's different from other people.

Edward (Johnny Depp, in fine form) lives in an old castle just down the street from suburbia USA. He's discovered living there alone by the area Avon lady (Dianne Wiest), who brings him home to live with her family. Edward is shy and charming, and has hidden talents he displays as the story unfolds. But his inventor never quite got him finished - so for some reason he has sharp blades in place of human hands.

This "handicap" sets him apart from mainstream society, and also makes him a charming diversion to the staid and stable life in the neighborhood.

His uniqueness makes him a target - or recipient - of the advances of the neighbors, from the bored and horny housewife to the young daughter (Winona Ryder) into whose house and life he has been thrust.

Unfortunately, his presence also leads to healthy doses of jealousy and this proves to be the undoing of his new and idyllic existence. Edward once again becomes an outcast and retreats to his home of old, never more to mingle with the pastel people nearby.

Tim Burton has crafted a marvelous fantasy in "Edward Scissorhands." The film's pastel-colored neighborhood looks wonderfully surreal, with Edward's black and white world standing in stark contrast to it. You really root for Depp's Edward, and you laugh and cry with the movie all the way.

All of the characters are larger than life, with the possible exception of Depp - who's terrific as Edward, the one character who you'd think would be larger than life. Dianne Wiest plays her "mothering" role to perfection, as does Alan Arkin as her preoccupied husband. Winona Ryder is perfectly cast and is vulnerable, rebellious, and "sexy-without-being-sexual" all at the same time.

The Blu-ray disc is presented in widescreen with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1. For the most part, it looks terrific. There are some grainy shots, and an overall softness we'd guess is deliberate, but overall we're quite happy with the transfer. Audio is dts HD 4.0 Master Audio, and it sounds terrific, much better than on the DVD (which was no slouch itself).

Extras include an audio commentary track by director Burton and another one by often-collaborator and composer Danny Elfman. There's also a featurette on the production, and trailers for other BD releases.

We aren't convinced yet about the "smart menu" that floats over the feature, so you don't have to leave the movie to check out the features. It still blocks at good portion of the screen (at least in this incarnation) and, after all, you're going to leave the movie anyway if you access the special features. But it's interesting if nothing else.

As for Edward, it's a marvelous film!

Edward Scissorhands, from 20th Century Fox Home Video
105 minutes, Widescreen (1.85:1), dts HD
Starring Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest, Anthony Michael Hall, Kathy Baker, Alan Arkin, and Vincent Price
Produced by Denise Di Novi and Tim Burton
Written by Caroline Thompson, Directed by Tim Burton