Does The Wicker Man need any sort of introduction from me? Any fan of horror, or cinema in general, will know of or have seen The Wicker Man. And long have many of us who love the original awaited Hardy's spiritual followup. And it has quite the history of planning, writing, and production. However, in the long run, what we, the fans got, was something truly... how can I say it... frustrating. After three viewings of the film (over the course of roughly ten years) I have come to mildly appreciate some elements of the film. '
In the film Beth and Steve are born again Christians. Beth being a semi famous trashy country singer turned Christian Performer and Steve being more of a simple minded cowboy, more or less, "going along for the ride". When the two head out to Glasgow to spread their Christian message, they end up in a small village in the Scottish lowlands. It is there that their relationship is thrown into turmoil and become unwitting sacrifices in a Pagan ritual.
This movie is just a straight mixed bag. It looks wonderful. The Scottish and British cast are excellent. And the story might have something going for it. However, the two leads, played by Brittania Nicol and Henry Garrett, are absolutely dreadful when acting against the likes of Graham McTavish or Jacqueline Leonard. Their acting is so dreadful that it makes their inevitable demise rather anti dramatic. Thankfully the rest of the cast look as if they might have had some fun with the material. Particularly Clive Russell in the role of Beame. His screen time seems to be mostly made of comedy relief, in the way this film plays out, his comedy is actually somewhat a breath of fresh air. The audience even gets a cameo from Christopher Lee, playing a character that may or may not be Lord Summerisle from the original film.
The comparisons between this movie and its predecessor are inevitable, and will always be The Wicker Tree's biggest weakness. In the original film Sgt Howie is a devout Christian. Even up to his final moments he stayed that way. And that is exactly why he was sacrificed. In The Wicker Tree the two leads Beth and Steve are really just frauds. Phonies. Beth seems a bit oblivious to it as her character intentionally hides from her past. Like I said about Steve early about being "along for the ride", that truly is his character. He is no Christian. He just wants to get into Beth's panties, and when he cannot do that, he goes elsewhere. The point is, these characters are deeply flawed in comparison to Sgt Howie. Howie was a perfect sacrifice because of his devout nature. Beth and Steve are far from perfect. If anything, they are the opposite of that. This is what makes their demise feel absolutely lackluster. It feels like it doesn't mean anything.
Following in those same lines is the Pagan Cult itself, led by McTavish's Sir Morrison. A number of times in the film we are made to outright question whether or not Sir Morrison even believes what he preaches. In comparison to Lee's Summerisle, Morrison is again not devout. And I suppose this is the ongoing theme of the film. That even those that claim they believe, they really do not, it's just in how they were "raised".
Another comparison is in the storytelling. Unlike "Man", which plays out like a solid mystery with one of the best twist endings ever, "Tree" doesn't even attempt at mystery. The direction and narrative reveals throughout make the audience feel like they already know what to expect. That's not a good feeling when I go into a movie and early on I am hoping it doesn't end like I think it's going to. That's exactly what "Tree" does. It makes no attempts at twists or turns. It's all incredibly straight forward. Too straight forward, unfortunately.
The film does have its moments, however. It really is shot wonderfully. The color scheme is green and yellows, and it matches that Pagan theme really nicely. As well, Hardy has one or two moments that are noteworthy. The lead up to Steve's death is, in my opinion, handled pretty well. When Steve is about to be eaten by the cult in the ruins of the castle, there is a wonderfully dreadful build up to the whole event. And although we see very little gore, what we see is enough to give that feeling of deep dread. I liked that element. And again, the moments of levity I actually did welcome. Even if they felt like they belonged in a different film.
Overall I really don't hate this film the way a lot of people do. I did at first. Actually, I really hated it at first. But after three viewings over a long period of time, I do feel as if I can watch this movie without having that bad taste in my mouth anymore. It really isn't a horrible film. It's just very questionable as to why Hardy decided to absolutely turn everything he did in "Man" upside down in "Tree". It works to a degree, but as a Spiritual Sequel, it simply doesn't hold a candle to the original film.
If you haven't seen the film you probably should just stick with the original. But if you must see The Wicker Tree do your best to keep an open mind. It is the only way you will really enjoy the film.
In the film Beth and Steve are born again Christians. Beth being a semi famous trashy country singer turned Christian Performer and Steve being more of a simple minded cowboy, more or less, "going along for the ride". When the two head out to Glasgow to spread their Christian message, they end up in a small village in the Scottish lowlands. It is there that their relationship is thrown into turmoil and become unwitting sacrifices in a Pagan ritual.
This movie is just a straight mixed bag. It looks wonderful. The Scottish and British cast are excellent. And the story might have something going for it. However, the two leads, played by Brittania Nicol and Henry Garrett, are absolutely dreadful when acting against the likes of Graham McTavish or Jacqueline Leonard. Their acting is so dreadful that it makes their inevitable demise rather anti dramatic. Thankfully the rest of the cast look as if they might have had some fun with the material. Particularly Clive Russell in the role of Beame. His screen time seems to be mostly made of comedy relief, in the way this film plays out, his comedy is actually somewhat a breath of fresh air. The audience even gets a cameo from Christopher Lee, playing a character that may or may not be Lord Summerisle from the original film.
The comparisons between this movie and its predecessor are inevitable, and will always be The Wicker Tree's biggest weakness. In the original film Sgt Howie is a devout Christian. Even up to his final moments he stayed that way. And that is exactly why he was sacrificed. In The Wicker Tree the two leads Beth and Steve are really just frauds. Phonies. Beth seems a bit oblivious to it as her character intentionally hides from her past. Like I said about Steve early about being "along for the ride", that truly is his character. He is no Christian. He just wants to get into Beth's panties, and when he cannot do that, he goes elsewhere. The point is, these characters are deeply flawed in comparison to Sgt Howie. Howie was a perfect sacrifice because of his devout nature. Beth and Steve are far from perfect. If anything, they are the opposite of that. This is what makes their demise feel absolutely lackluster. It feels like it doesn't mean anything.
Following in those same lines is the Pagan Cult itself, led by McTavish's Sir Morrison. A number of times in the film we are made to outright question whether or not Sir Morrison even believes what he preaches. In comparison to Lee's Summerisle, Morrison is again not devout. And I suppose this is the ongoing theme of the film. That even those that claim they believe, they really do not, it's just in how they were "raised".
Another comparison is in the storytelling. Unlike "Man", which plays out like a solid mystery with one of the best twist endings ever, "Tree" doesn't even attempt at mystery. The direction and narrative reveals throughout make the audience feel like they already know what to expect. That's not a good feeling when I go into a movie and early on I am hoping it doesn't end like I think it's going to. That's exactly what "Tree" does. It makes no attempts at twists or turns. It's all incredibly straight forward. Too straight forward, unfortunately.
The film does have its moments, however. It really is shot wonderfully. The color scheme is green and yellows, and it matches that Pagan theme really nicely. As well, Hardy has one or two moments that are noteworthy. The lead up to Steve's death is, in my opinion, handled pretty well. When Steve is about to be eaten by the cult in the ruins of the castle, there is a wonderfully dreadful build up to the whole event. And although we see very little gore, what we see is enough to give that feeling of deep dread. I liked that element. And again, the moments of levity I actually did welcome. Even if they felt like they belonged in a different film.
Overall I really don't hate this film the way a lot of people do. I did at first. Actually, I really hated it at first. But after three viewings over a long period of time, I do feel as if I can watch this movie without having that bad taste in my mouth anymore. It really isn't a horrible film. It's just very questionable as to why Hardy decided to absolutely turn everything he did in "Man" upside down in "Tree". It works to a degree, but as a Spiritual Sequel, it simply doesn't hold a candle to the original film.
If you haven't seen the film you probably should just stick with the original. But if you must see The Wicker Tree do your best to keep an open mind. It is the only way you will really enjoy the film.