Ed Wood Review

For this review I decided to take advantage of the Tim Burton requirement and watch a movie I had been interested in for quite some time.
Ed Wood is a biopic about a man who was posthumously known as, "the worst director of all time". Sad as that is, his movies were generally horrible. The main character of Ed is played by Johnny Depp who never skips a beat and never holds back in his portrayal. His willingness to go the distance for his character really stands out when it is revealed that Ed enjoys cross-dressing. Depp never flinches or shows any feeling of being out of place, he is truly committed to being Ed. My only grievance is that Depp seems to always be typecast as the "weird" character. I know he fits it well, but there is a hint of the same thing in every performance. But, Depp is certainly not the most outstanding character. No, that goes to Martin Landau for his portrayal of down and out, former Dracula actor, Bela Lugosi. His performance is magnificent and one can sometimes forget that he is truly acting. Bela is addicted to morphine among other things and constantly is aware that many believe his antithesis, Boris Karloff, is better than him. Landau illustrates this perfectly, he angrily shouts and acts like the dying star he is. Coupled with him amazing abilities, which garnered him an Oscar in this role, were the similarly Oscar winning talents of Rick Baker who did Landua's makeup. The dark makeup and prosthetics of drag marks from drug use created an unbelievably believable character.
The entire movie is shot in black and white which really lends to the dark tones that are ultimately made lighthearted by Burton's vision for Ed Wood. While including all the terrible things in his life, everything is optimistic. It's as if the entire movie is shot through Wood's own eyes. His aspiration and need to become like his favorite director Orson Welles is felt in every seen as Depp bounces through never shaking in Wood's smile as the audience boos and throws things at him.
Ed Wood is an ironically funny and tragic movie. It offers a look into a cult classic movie director known for his horrid movies. One cannot help but feel bad for the plight of a man who just wants to follow his dreams. And along the way meet some of the people who help navigate him through it. At the end of the movie, it comes as a shock when you realize that while everything is not 100 percent accurate, it all happened. The only detractions are the truly hopefulness that the movie gives to a depressing life. After some research, I can honestly say that this movie is Ed Wood's life. All the tragic details of it.
The entire movie can be summed up in Depp's hopeful line awaiting the audiences reaction to his movie "Plan 9 From Outer Space". He says, "This is the movie I'll be remembered for". Ironically it is, but only because it is known as the all time worst movie ever made. Tragic.
I give this movie a 5 out of 5. I truly loved it even with its minor faults. It might not be the most accurate or even have the zaniness most are expecting out of a Burton. But, I enjoyed this movie to the fullest and it made a truly good story out of one man's unfortunate life.
I would categorize this movie as Man Vs. Himself. It is all about Wood's struggle to follow his dream and still be successful. Along with this he struggles with his transvestite qualities and maintaining relationships.