wickerman2006

THE SYNOPSIS

After recovering from a car accident where he couldn’t save a woman and her little girl, California patrolman Edward Malus (Cage) spends his time drugged-up and boozed-down.

One day, he receives an enigmatic letter from a former girlfriend named Willow (Beahan)--who pleads for him to come up to Summersisle Island off the coast of Oregon. Her daughter Rowan is missing and Willow suspects foul play. Will Edward come up and search for her?

Of course he will. Packing up his gear, putting a suit on and lathering himself with cologne, Edward is off! Crossing the Puget Sound, he hitches an airplane ride to the island--where he is greeted with a mixture of indifferent politeness and shady evasion. Willow is happy to see him and she pleads him to find her cherubic daughter Rowan.

The next few days, Edward questions everyone on the island--which seems to be a matriarchal agrarian society. The men are present, but never really speak. He meets the head of this bizarre society, Sister Summersisle (Burstyn)--who speaks in riddles.

What’s the deal here? Turns out that the denizens of Summersisle are pagan worshippers and they must sacrifice an outsider so that their next harvest is successful. Guess who gets to meet their wooden bonfire statue, the Wicker Man? Yes, Edward Malus. I hope he likes the heat...

THE CRITIQUE

Why must the cinematic machine go and remake good movies of the past? Why not remake bad movies? Taking its cue from the original 1973 cult classic, 2006’s THE WICKER MAN goes for the creepy factor but misses the subtlety of director Robin Hardy’s eloquent visual tapestry--written by the late, great scribe Anthony Schaffer (Sleuth/Frenzy/Death On The Nile).

Written & directed by acclaimed playwright/filmmaker Neil LaBute (The Shape Of Things/Nurse Betty/Your Friends & Neighbors/In The Company Of Men), this newer version ratchets up all aspects of the plot and scenario while making some painful changes. Like, for example, transplanting the setting from the cold, forbidding Scottish Coast to somewhere off the coast of Oregon (though really filmed in British Columbia, Canada).

LaBute is probably not the best choice to helm a “horror” movie like this. Hell, even his screenplay is rather blase. The only punch this movie has is the “shocking” ending--which you’ll already know if you’ve seen the original. Simply put, this remake needed the kind of macabre touches that someone like Wes Craven or John Carpenter could have provided. But, it was not to be...

Even more of an enigma was the casting of Nicolas Cage as the main character. The answer to that riddle is that Cage is also one of the producers! Don’t get me wrong: I like Nic Cage, but feel that he was miscast in a role where we (the viewer) should sympathize with the protagonist.

Cage’s character, Malus, is a rather unlikable chap. By the way, malus is an apple--so whatever meaning LaBute is suggesting with the name of his protagonist is open for debate. The rest of the cast is decent.

And though she is no Christopher Lee, Ellen Burstyn does an acceptable job in the benevolently-sinister role of the matriarchal Sister Summersisle. Finally, look out for cameos by actors James Franco, Jason Ritter and LaBute regular Aaron Eckhart.

Invoking the 180° rule, let’s analyze the true merits of this movie: the actual production.

The gorgeously-verdant widscreen-lensing of the B.C. locations is courtesy of veteran Canadian cinematographer Paul Sarossy (Charlie Bartlett/The Sweet Hereafter/Exotica). I mean, the one thing I can appreciate here is a nice-looking picture. The robust, high-key lighting scheme betrays the sinister scenario and works quite well.

Other tech credits (editing, production design, score, etc.) are better than they should be for this movie.

THE BOTTOM LINE

As far as remakes go, this one is mediocre--but not entirely crap (like some others). Nice production values and intriguing concept keep this one afloat up to a point. But check out the original...it’s still creepy.

CAST: Nicolas Cage, Ellen Burstyn, Kate Beahan, Frances Conroy, Molly Parker, Leelee Sobieski, Diane Delano

CREDITS: Director/screenwriter: Neil LaBute, based on a screenplay by Anthony Schaffer; Producers: Nicolas Cage, Norm Golightly, Avi Lerner, Randall Emmett, John Thompson & Boaz Davidson; Director of Photography: Paul Sarossy; Production Designer: Phillip Barker; Editor: Joel Plotch; Costume Designer: Lynette Meyer; Music: Angelo Badalamenti

AC/AL/V 2006 103m ENGLISH