One of the great experiences of adulthood is going back and revisiting some of your favorite movies from your childhood. Sometimes, this nostalgic experience takes you on a trip down memory lane with some of the beloved characters, while other times it’s like watching the movie for the first time all over again. The latter situation happened to me recently when I decided to go back and revisit Edward Scissorhands, one of the best movies of the ‘90s.
I’ll be completely honest, it’s been decades since I watched arguably one of Tim Burton’s best movies, and all I really remembered about it was Johnny Depp’s iconic character, the hedge art and Anthony Michael Hall's character being a total prick. So going back and watching was an eye-opening experience for a variety of reasons, which I’ll share with you right now.
I Completely Forgot That The Movie Was An Attack On The Superficiality And Cliquey Nature Of The Suburbs
One thing I forgot about with Edward Scissorhands is that it’s an attack on the superficiality and cliquey nature of the suburbs. As Peg Boggs (Dianne Wiest) walked door to door in hopes of selling Avon products, I was blown away by the sameness, unoriginality, and conformity of the suburbs, even if each of the homes’ true appearance was hidden beneath a facade of lively, pastel colors.
The cliquiness of the neighborhood, especially the core group of housewives like Joyce Monroe (Kathy Baker) and Helen (Conchata Ferrell) with their series of phone calls after Edward comes to live with the Boggs and their meeting on the corner to discuss the new disturbance on the block, was apparent from the jump. Tim Burton’s attack on the neighborhood and its superficial residents rang so true.
I Am Still Blown Away By The Way Tim Burton Was Able To Create Such Strange And Beautiful Visuals
I love how each of Tim Burton’s earlier films led to the perfection of his art style in Edward Scissorhands. After several years of honing his craft and working tirelessly to create a unique and signature art style in the likes of Beetlejuice and Batman, the director unleashed the tour de force that was this 1990 classic. The strange, yet beautiful visuals seen throughout the movie, be it expertly crafted miniatures, the geometry of those iconic hedge sculptures, or even the look of the mansion atop the hill, are breathtaking more than 30 years later.
Though I still appreciate Burton’s more recent work, I do miss his days of practical effects over CGI, as they did an incredible job of making you feel like you were living in the world of Edward Scissorhands and everything that came before.
The Way Tim Burton Depicts Loneliness And Its Effect On People Is Mesmerizing
I’ll always consider Tim Burton’s Batman movies as being some of the best Dark Knight films mainly because of the way he presented Michael Keaton’s Bruce Wayne as a broken and lonely figure isolated from the world around him. This is even more true with Johnny Depp’s titular character in Edward Scissorhands. He's an unfinished work of art shaped by loneliness, both that of his creator (played by Vincent Price in his final role) and later his own after the inventor’s death.
The same can be said about the Boggs family in general, as they appear to be on an isolated island with a gulf between them and the rest of the neighborhood. You don’t have to be hiding in a mansion high atop a hill to be lonely, as Winona Ryder and Dianne Wiest’s characters show so beautifully in their respective journeys before and after Edward comes into their lives.
The Whole Neighborhood Turning On Edward Was Heartbreaking And Also Incredibly Realistic
After the initial shock of Edward’s introduction wears off and the housewives discover his skills with those scissor-hands of his, they begin to idolize him and fantasize about him in various ways. This is no more true than it is for Joyce Monroe, who goes as far as to seduce the innocent loner and take advantage of him when she shows off what is to be their new salon. The whole time, I had a feeling the other shoe was going to drop.
And boy, does it drop. After Jim tricks Edward into committing a robbery with him and later pinning the blame on him, the whole neighborhood turns on the loner. This includes, you guessed it, Joyce, who twists the story about what happened at the salon to make it seem like Edward attacked her.
Having witnessed groups of busybodies turn on someone, watching this unfold was heartbreaking, yet also realistic in the worst kind of way. Burton hit the nail on the head with this social critique.
As The Movie Went On, I Kept Finding Myself Relating To The Boggs Family
While the world around them is all caught up in shenanigans and everyone else’s business, the Boggs family mostly keeps to themselves and are above the chatter and nonsense of suburban life. As the movie went on, I kept finding myself relating to the family more and more, especially Bill Boggs, played by the late Alan Arkin.
Seriously, this guy is one of the best representations of a dad I’ve seen in a long time. He’s so cool and so nonchalant about life, but also stands his ground and stands up for those in distress, like Edward. Instead of letting folks know that he cares, he shows them, and that’s a model we should all follow. The same can also be said about Kim and Kevin Boggs (Robert Oliveri), who aren’t afraid to do what’s right in the face of banality and evil.
Watching Edward Scissorhands On Disney+ Was Like A Whole New Visual Experience, Considering I Previously Watched It On Old VHS Tapes
When I watched Edward Scissorhands with my Disney+ subscription, I was blown away by the visuals in stunning HD. In fact, it felt like a whole new experience compared to that old VHS tape I had growing up or watching it on a staticky cable channel. If you haven’t already, watch it on the streaming service, as Tim Burton’s art direction and visual style look so great, and you might even notice something new about the movie.
I had a similar experience when I watched the original One Hundred and One Dalmatians when the platform first launched back in 2019, and I’m sure the same is true for some of the best movies on Disney+, especially those with wild color palettes.
Well, I must say revisiting Edward Scissorhands as an adult was a brilliant experience and one I won’t soon forget. Who knows, with the success of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, maybe we’ll get to see a sequel at some point in the future.
