Ed Wood Image
Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critics What's this?

User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 68 Ratings

  • Starring: Johnny Depp, Martin Landau
  • Summary: Portrait of a young man (Depp) trying to claw his way up into Hollywood from the bottom.
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 19
  2. Negative: 2 out of 19
  1. 100
    One of those rare films that communicates the exquisite joy of the moviemaking process. [7 October 1994, Friday, p.B]
  2. Turns out to be a thoroughly entertaining if eccentric piece of business, wacky and amusing in a cheerfully preposterous way. [28 September 1994, Calendar, p.F-1]
  3. Burton has evoked the surface of Ed Wood's life, but in a story about a man who loves angora and frilly panties, he has barely unbuttoned Wood's uniform.
  4. A cinematic homage as flawed as its subject. Flawed, yet with a peculiar fascination of its own -- what we have is a genuine artist paying sincere tribute to an unapologetic mediocrity, and stooping awkwardly to the task.

See all 19 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 23
  2. Negative: 0 out of 23
  1. Tim Burton's best film, without the slightest hint of doubt. Every performance, every joke, every set; just about everything in this movie was perfect. It's so good, that I consider it one of my personal favorites. Expand
  2. CT
    10
    Wow, I just watched this again after several years (2007). The first time I just smiled or chuckled, this time I was ROTFLMAO. I rented Plan 9 as well and watched it *before* watching Ed Wood - it made all the difference in the world! The one thing I had to keep saying to myself while watching Plan 9 was, "This guy was dead serious! This isn't a movie parody!" Watching Ed Wood gave me a psuedo-peek behind the camera so to speak. I recommend it to anyone; it is a very entertaining film, but greatly enhanced if you watch Wood's film(s) beforehand. I can't wait to get my hand's on Glen or Glenda and Bride of the Monster. "Pull the string! Pull the string!" Expand
  3. This has to be one of Tim Burton's best. This whole film was very well produced. Tim Burton's dark humor keeps me laughing and a little disturbed at times. Getting to the actual review, this is a biopic about a real life film director that has been named the worst director in cinematic history. His name is Ed Wood.(that's why they called the film Ed Wood). Although this was filmed in 1994 it's in black and white. But the color isn't what makes a film good and anyone that saids otherwise needs help. This film features a much younger Johnny Depp so I would recommend this to mostly females. The acting was very good. The writing was also good especially the one liners. There where so many funny one liners that if you talked you missed them. Although being a comedy this film is also quite serious. Especially the relationship between Ed Wood and Bela Lugosi. Towards the end it was very touching and depressing. If you like this movie then you might also want to check out Ed Wood movies like Plan 9 from Outer Space and The Bride of the Monster. Expand
  4. Ed Wood is a strangely uncharismatic bio-pic from Burton and Depp. It has some nice photography, some decent performances and great period design but I felt myself drift off into boredom during the final third. Expand

See all 23 User Reviews