Review of The Wicker Man (2006) by Kenneth B — 27 Dec 2011

So this is the remake of The Wicker Man, the original being a film that I don't love but one for which I do have a healthy respect. Clearly a respect not shared by the production team behind the 2006 remake. The story is now set on a small island off the coast of California with Edward Woodward replaced by Nicolas Cage and Ellen Burstyn in Christopher Lee's place.

So that's the first problem Cage lacks any kind of presence and he is typically monotone as he wanders around Summerisle seemingly half-asleep. Perhaps he is not completely to blame because the dialogue is rubbish. He has several irritatingly sarcastic lines which are seemingly aimed at the receiving characters but each with a 'knowing' edge, very post-modern indeed. He's not as endearing as Edward Woodward was in the original and there is never really the sense that this is a man who is out of his depth or who is overly concerned with the goings on. Woodward's character was clearly an increasingly desperate man and it was essentially his despair that underpinned the original. The result this time around is rather dull. Burstyn, who was so superb quite recently in Requiem for a Dream, is lethargic here as well, she doesn't command anywhere near the same level of authority that Lee lent the role. Lethargic is a word which could describe this whole production.

Other than the two lead roles Kate Beahan plays Willow, who seems to be a lot more up-front than anyone else and provides some form of explanation as to the occurrences. Although it does transpire that there is a reason for this, however vacuous, it occurred to me at the time is that the film-makers know that most of the audience will have seen the original so they have decided to eschew the whole mystery in order to maintain audience interest. If they (i.e. we) already know what's coming then there's no need to keep up the facade. It's a patronising approach and clearly one which hasn't sat well with audiences. Inevitably we proceed to the Wicker Man scene in which Cage goes a bit kung-fu on his captors before being overpowered and taken to the structure. There's a moment as the camera fades out after he has been surrounded that Cage wails 'my legs' and it reminded me Mustafa in the pit from Austin Powers. I half expected Dr Evil to show up, surely not the desired reaction?

After it's all finished there is a pointless coda, which displays that knowing tendency that I referred to but is completely unnecessary and sums up the film. This is one to avoid at all costs.