Ed Wood

And now it begins. Here's my first official film review to be posted on this blog! The film is the 1994 biopic, Ed Wood. This "mostly true story" was directed by Tim Burton and stars Johnny Depp as the title character.

For those who aren't familiar with the film's central character, here's a little background information. Edward D. Wood Jr. is know by many as the worst director of all time. He is responsible for such infamous classics including "Glen or Glenda", "Bride of the Monster", and of course "Plan 9 From Outer Space." The latter of which has received the reputation as "The Worst Film of All Time." Wood was known to film over 30 scenes overnight, rarely do more than one take, and constructing incredibly cheap sets and props, resulting in films with countless plot holes, continuity errors, and revealing mistakes. Despite making a mild name for himself, he never obtained mainstream success in the industry. In fact most studio executives loathed him for the quality of his films, his unorthodox directorial style, and his general lack of skill. Also, once word got out that Wood was a part-time transvestite, his reputation took another turn for the worse. After Plan 9 was released in 1959, he went on to make a few more low budget B-Movies, followed by some monster-themed erotica films, and finally when his career truly hit rock-bottom, became a pornographic director. He died in 1978 at the age of 54 and it wasn't until years after his death that his work finally started receiving widespread recognition. Today many of his films have attained cult followings and, especially Plan 9, have become synonymous with the expression, "So bad, it must be good."


Now for the review of the film:

The story chronicles the life of Ed Wood while he was filming "Glen Or Glenda," "Bride of the Monster," and "Plan 9 From Outer Space." Here it shows his struggles as an inexperienced filmmaker going from studio to studio begging for the opportunity to get his films made. It also details the ups and downs of his love life starting with Delores Fuller (Sarah Jessica Parker) and ending with Kathy O'Hara (Patricia Arquette). The other subplot worth mentioning invovles Wood's friendship with an aging Bela Lugosi (Martin Landau), who after becoming a morphine addict and unable to find work, acts in Wood's films.

The movie is shot in black and white, and has an near-identical resemblance to the B-Movies released in in the 1950s. The opening scene and credits is taken straight from Wood's style. It opens with Criswel (Jeffrey Jones) emerging from a casket reciting some bizarre narration that was heard in Wood's films. It then proceeds to a perfect recreation of the opening titles in Plan 9, complete with the cast and crew's names etched into cardboard gravestones. Finally the credits end with shots of rubber octopus tentacles and paper plate flying saucers hanging from strings; perfectly setting the tone for the rest of the movie. The film maintains this visual style and keeps it interesting for the full two hours. The musical score is put to great use as well. Here we hear bits and pieces of the theme from Glen or Glenda as well as the occasional use of "Swan Lake" from the 1931 adaptation of "Dracula" starring Lugosi. Overall, the film has a great look to it that both pokes fun at Wood but also pays respect to his creative visions.

The look of the film is only the icing on the cake, the film really shines due to the amazing cast. Johnny Depp not only looks like Ed Wood, but he has the mannerisms down perfectly. You can see the struggle he deals with and you do want to see him succeed in the end. At the same time, you can't help but pity the guy. You know his heart's in the right place and he is totally driven but at the same time he was making horrendous films and wasting studios' time and money. Its an interesting dilemma that is hard to explain and must be seen to understand. The other stand-out performance is Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi. Landau won the Oscar for best supporting actor and rightfully so. He nailed down Lugosi's accent, voice, and mannerisms to a point that its you forget that you're actually watching an actor portray the legendary actor. I'm not going to review every other actor because there's too many of them, but rather just say that every actor was well cast.

In short, I was not expecting to like Ed Wood that much. I've always considered Tim Burton a fairly hit and miss director, but I was greatly surprised by how well made this movie was. Every actor was perfectly cast, the visual style was excellent, and the film moved at a perfect pace. Its a great film that's both entertaining and inspiring, especially for any aspiring filmmakers. The movie is mostly true, but it does take a few minor fictional liberties. I don't normally give 5 star reviews, and I wasn't expecting to this one either, but I honestly can't think of one thing I didn't like about this film. Its just that good.

Overall, an excellent film about a terrible director. 5 Stars!