Edward Scissorhands (1990)

The critic praises Burton's whimsical fairytale about an artificial man with scissors for hands who finds acceptance in suburbia before facing rejection. They single out Johnny Depp's performance as particularly moving.

Wilmington deems it a soft-hearted modern fairy tale and one of the year's most original fantasy creations, full of tenderness and artistic alienation. He praises its daffy invention, marvelous fun-house look, and the hilarious hedges and hairstyles.

Burton's modern fairytale is told gently and with infinite sympathy for the outsider, featuring a wonderfully realised pastel suburbia and memorable central figure. Depp is sensational, conveying anxiety, melancholy and innocence through his eyes alone, with the vision laced with humour and humanity.

Dawes praises Burton for turning an unlikely character into the center of a delightful and delicate comic fable through brilliant visual storytelling. She highlights the entrancing, slyly comic vision created by the production design, costumes, and Depp's sensitive performance.

The critic calls Edward Scissorhands Burton's creative peak and last truly great film, a singular suburban fairy tale that balances sentiment and irony while remaining emotionally authentic. They praise its macabre foundations and how it disrupts expectations as both fable and mockery of fables.

This oddball fairy tale is one of the best fantasy films ever made, with haunting power, exquisite charm and dark romance; Depp's sensitive performance and Elfman's score are highlights.

Maslin finds the film a single-minded, campy reinvention of a small tale of misunderstood gentleness and stifled creativity. She praises Burton's awe-inspiring ingenuity in crafting its bold, ebullient suburban fairy-tale world.

The film showcases Tim Burton's inventive visual style and special effects that create unique images, but it falls short in storytelling and character development, with the hero feeling remote and the plot resorting to a conventional Hollywood ending.

Burton crafts a dark, oblique fairy tale with beautiful stylisation and strong naturalistic performances, especially from Depp as the vulnerable outsider. It refreshes Hollywood norms but lacks sufficient dramatic weight and iron in its soul to fully ignite as drama.

Kael calls the film plaintive and graphically conceived but ultimately pre-interpreted and self-serving in its portrait of the misunderstood artist. She singles out Dianne Wiest's radiant, daffy performance as the Avon lady Peg for particular delight.

Burton's film offers a skewed, visually striking vision of suburbia with strong design elements, but it remains curiously hollow at its core.

The critic calls Edward Scissorhands Burton's most vulnerable and raw exploration of alienation and outsider status, describing it as an honest portrait of adolescence that remains his favorite film. They single out the exposed, passive protagonist and the unfiltered expressionism of the screenplay and design for praise.

The critic views the film as a complex allegory for societal and economic change in suburban America, highlighting themes of classism, diversity, and prejudice against outsiders. They single out the symbolic use of snow, Edward's unchanging appearance, and the contrasting mansion and neighborhood for praise.

The film is a gothic fairytale about outsider status and Burton's personal feelings of isolation. It singles out Johnny Depp's magical, soulful performance as Edward for particular praise.

The critic highlights the film as Burton's most personal and revealing work, a gentle, self-portrait-like take on Frankenstein where the monster is entirely sympathetic and the suburbanites are the flawed ones. They praise its courage in both fairy-tale and satire modes and the purity of its childlike monster fascination.

The critic finds the film visually dazzling with intricate designs and praises Depp's sincere, emotional performance as the innocent outsider. However, the review faults the blunt climax, contrived plot complications, and unsubtle satire that fails to fully support its quixotic visuals.