The Wicker Man (2006) Movie Review
Written by: ML
Edited by: Grave Reviews Staff
Film Information
Director: Neil LaBute
Producers: Nicolas Cage, Boaz Davidson, et. al.
Writers: Neil LaBute
Date Released: September 1, 2006
Cast:
Nicolas Cage as Edward Malus
Ellen Burstyn as Sister Summersisle
Kate Beahan as Sister Willow Woodward
Leelee Sobieski as Sister Honey
Frances Conroy as Dr. T.H. Moss
Molly Parker as Sister Rose / Sister Thorn
Diane Delano as Sister Beech
Mary Black as Sister Oak
Christine Willes as Sister Violet
Erika Shaye Gair as Rowan Woodward
Rating = 1/5 Graves
***May contain some spoilers***
Synopsis
The story is about a policeman named Edward Malus who suffered trauma from a failed roadside rescue then got called by his ex-fiancé to look for her missing daughter, Rowan, on a remote island named Summersisle. It was a long and winding search for a seemingly mysterious disappearance of a girl in a small and weird town. The people are off the grid and very traditional in the way they dress, speak, and move. After failed attempts of searching and researching about the possible cause of disappearance, Edward experienced weird dreams and came to a point of believing that Rowan was already dead and murdered. After more searching and stumbling upon crazy townspeople, he saw that Rowan was about to be sacrificed. He tried to save her but was cornered and tricked all along. He was actually the one to be sacrificed in a huge wicker man effigy.
Gore Factor
This movie has no blood and guts of any kind. There are one or two jump scares particularly in the dream sequences and the bird inside the desk. The creepiest parts of this movie are the bee farm, the bee attacks, the dead pilot at the beach, and the actual cult practices especially what they did to the men.
The Grave Review
This is yet another one of those negatively-rated Nicolas Cage movies. His role here is annoying due to the fact that he dragged everyone into a long and stressful search. When things got weird, it seemed normal to him. He just searched endlessly knocking on each door, acting like he had power over an island that is part of a different state. His detective skills are zero. He failed to connect the answers to his endless questions. He just blindly searched at the wrong places, stumbling upon items that didn’t even make sense. He didn’t even wonder why someone would lock him up in the crypt or why there were weird things happening.
The emotionless acting or lack of expression from the other characters is presumably because they are part of a strange conformist cult. There are a lot of monotonous dialogues from the other characters that didn’t really help Edward’s search for truth.
The only good thing about this movie is the plot twist at the end where it was revealed that Summersisle, Willow, and Rowan were actually family members and that they have plotted the whole missing person story just to lure Edward to the island.
But through it all, it’s an entirely troublesome scheme that they have planned. The whole movie is a dragging game of search. It’s not until the movie reached an hour and twenty minutes that the suspense escalated to the revelation ending. The reason of the need to create a fake story is questionable. They should’ve just kidnapped Edward and sacrifice him instantly instead of going through all that drama of searching for nothing.
The use of bees is also questionable. The purpose of the weird bee farm was not explained, especially the stuff that Edward saw in the house.
Overall, this movie is just fine if you are looking for something to pass the time. It may be at least interesting to those who enjoy weird and creepy cults.
For the foregoing reasons, Grave Reviews gives The Wicker Man (2006) one grave out of five graves.
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