Who would’ve thought I could actually bear to sit through another Tim Burton and Johnny Depp pairing? I’m no fan of either, and the two of them have very few defining moments that I would really be able to enjoy more than once. With Burton, his directing work with Beetlejuice and the short film, Vincent, come to mind. With Depp, I have a conserved love for his performance in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Now, I find myself at a point where I can do nothing but heap praise onto them both for their tireless efforts in Ed Wood.
Ed Wood depicts the titular man’s tale as he bursts his way into the filmmaking industry. A creator known for his truly horrendous filmmaking antics and misguided passion for the industry, Wood (Johnny Depp) is a starry eyed creative who wants to break into the big leagues. It’s nice to see Depp in a great leading performance, my experience with his work so far falling into the good (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) and the bad (everything else). Wood gives him the opportunity to play a character unhindered by failure, rising to the plate every time he can.
Martin Landau acts his heart out in a supporting role as Dracula star Bela Lugosi. The performance is uncanny, a great depiction of an actor left in the dust by the Hollywood vehicle. Given a new lease of life in the films of Wood, we see Landau present us some feverishly great scenes. The supporting cast go a long way in bringing out the frustrations felt by those that worked with Wood, Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette and Bill Murray in particular all provide some truly strong work.
Some more scenes focusing in on the frustrations Wood faces would’ve been nice. As an audience, you can expect a fair few scenes that showcase the financial struggle Wood and his team faced, but I was expecting more. The financial issues and casting difficulties are certainly highlighted, but they feel fleeting, never sticking around for too long. Most of the time, it feels like Wood’s movies were crafted with relative ease, and even the slightest nudge of interest in his directed works will show that it was far more difficult than that. A few winks to the camera in what would become the actual finished product are rather nice, it highlights a relatively jarred production atmosphere, but the spotlight hogging Depp makes it difficult to expand on any of the more interesting production japes in full force.
Acting as much a recount of Bela Lugosi’s final years as it does the rise and fall of shlock director Ed Wood, the film creates a great narrative and combines it with strong performances and enjoyable direction from Tim Burton. It leaves aside Burton’s zany antics that charms many but leaves me feeling high and dry, but it turns out he can make a solid film and doesn’t have to rely on Helena Bonham Carter or poor animation to do so. Taking out the boring, plodding parts of his early life and later death showcases a series of highlights in the life of a director considered one of the worst of all time. It’s a solid rendition of an interesting story, cutting through the carnage to get to the juicy bits. Certainly more interesting, but at times lacks the narrative depth or information necessary to make it stick in the mind longer.
