Rating: 
Summary: The greatest thriller/ musical ever about human sacrifice!
Review: This movie works on so many levels that it more than makes up for being somewhat dated. Don't be put off by the VERY low-budget production values and you'll be able to appreciate one of the few truly original movies of the last hundred years. From the very beginning when the producers thank Lord Summerisle for his cooperation, you are in for something out of the ordinary.Detective Howie (Edward Woodward) plays an uptight, overly religious, churchgoing Scottish police officer who makes Ken Starr look like Hugh Hefner. He get a letter from Summerisle claiming that a twelve-year-old girl is missing. Howie flies to the island in a flying boat to investigate and finds that the locals have something to hide. Not only are they not helping him, not only are they having great fun by jerking his chain, they add further insult to injury by practicing VERY old-style pagan religion. This includes copulating in graveyards, bawdy songs, initiations involving nude girls jumping over flames, or boys dancing around a phallic Maypole. When Howie challenges Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee in his best performance) about having naked girls jumping over bonfires, Summerisle retorts "Of course they're naked! It's too dangerous to jump over the flame with their clothes on." Howie is so exasperated by what he sees (including a woman nursing a baby in one hand and holding an egg with the other on a pew in a ruined church), he smashes an empty crate to make a crucifix out of the scraps of wood in an effort to have some semblance of order. Howie learns that these pagans aren't just in it for the sex, though. He finds out that the previous year's crops failed and that ancient Celts used to appease their gods by sacrificing virgins to them! Now his search for the missing girl takes on greater urgency... The character of Detective Howie isn't terribly sympathetic. He is rude, pushy, self-righteous and closed-minded. A fierce bible-believing cop was a bit outdated thirty years ago when this movie came out. He's even more so today. The fact that he's not a sympathetic figure ends up making the viewer feel guilty for not liking him, just as the annoying fat kid does in Lord of the Flies. Lord Summerisle and his followers at first seem like hippies who make up for their lack of drugs and rock & roll with extra servings of sex. But there's more than fornication going on among the islanders. The rest of the cast is great, including blonde Britt Ekland's body double for the waist-down shots -even though the double has much longer, brown hair. Another reviewer was right that the guy who picked Ekland's stripper stand-in likes the Jennifer Lopez look! The innkeeper, the old codgers, the burly fisherman, the missing girl's kid sister, the schoolteacher and county clerk are so perfectly cast, that combined with the low budget and the thanks given to Summerisle for his help in making the film, it almost seems like a documentary. The ending is truly shocking and will stay with you forever, not just because it's quite possible, even plausible, but because this sort of thing has happened for thousands of years and entire nations have considered it holy. For a low-budget thriller, this movie will disturb you and make you think about life, death, religion and human nature like few other movies before or since. How many other movies can do that -even the big-budget ones?
Rating:
Summary: get away from the ordinary an open your mind
Review: This is a cult film , in a good way . It has such a great sense of intelligence and atmosphere , great acting , fine script and will remain with you . Of course , you may hate it . An interesting point is that a number of scenes were cut out of the film , including some of Christopher Lee's . This happened to him again with the last Lord of the Rings film - talk about unlucky ! His scenes will appear on the Extended DVD , though .
Highly recommended . Other films with a creepy atmosphere include CARNIVAL OF SOULS ( the Criterion version is preferred ) , STRAW DOGS ( Criterion again , but now out of print ). Rent it if you are unsure .
Rating: 
Summary: Wicked interesting
Review: You know you're in for a ride when one of the first exchanges of the movie runs along the lines of: "What's new?" "Oh, rape, sodomy, the usual." There's a bracing dialogue between righteous and right throughout this film, plus lots of camp '70s fashion, bizarre musical numbers and gratuitous nudity of the most ridiculous and entertaining kind. Whoever picked the nude female extras for this film probably has a shrine to J-Lo in his home, if you know what I mean. But all the fun and campiness kind of drains away as you watch for a truly horrific ending with some fine acting from humans and animals alike. I'm not quite sure it all works, but it's a hell of a ride.
Rating:
Summary: Flame On!
Review: What a film! I first saw it as a young boy, and, without even following it that closely, was horrified. The transformation, as if through time as well as space, of the very human, responsible, modern policeman, to this alien community where virtually nothing can be safely relied upon and the entire community seems to be of one insular and sinister mind, is a powerful one. Watched it again this week for the first time in almost 30 years, and it still lives up to expectations. This film was MADE for Christopher Lee, while Edward Woodward's performance, as what inexorably becomes a bumbling and hapless character, is superb. Britt Ekland and Diane Cilento are real beauties; the other performances and the thread of the storyline are convincingly gripping, and the filming locations together with the 'otherworldly' music augment the film with its essential, mystic qualities. As an enthusiast of Celtic music and customs, I accord that most of the pagan references of the film had some source in what is known, or has been researched, of ancient beliefs and practices amongst these people's pre-Christian ancestors. This brings it closer in some ways to the hypothetical scenario of a community sealed off from Christian and other enlightening influences, but somehow not completely cut off from 20th Century customs. The pagan customs and rituals shown are more evocative of what might have been seen in 'pagan revivals' in more southerly parts of the British Isles, in post-Christian times, and at odds with the spirit and outlook of even the most 'insulated' parts of Highland Scotland, where people were amongst the first to embrace Christianity, and are still guided by its values today. Also, the names of people and places, plus the style of the music, are patently not Gaelic, which the Highlands fundamentally are, while the 'Scottishness' of some of the acting is far from authentic! That said, the film really works, and in many ways it's the bizarreness, almost clumsiness, of these aspects, that make 'Summerisle' so sinister. Compulsive viewing!
Rating:
Summary: Best bad movie ever!
Review: Don't watch this movie if you're looking for a horror film.
Don't watch it if you're looking for something very serious.
Don't watch it if you get easily annoyed by camp or non-Christian religions. DO watch it if you have an interest in things Pagan.
DO watch it if you like campy movies.
DO watch it if you like Christopher Lee. This movie is not a horror movie. The camp is too much for it to really frighten anyone. It is, however, a delightful film. I won't say that the acting is of high quality except for the cases of Christopher Lee (charming) and Edward Woodward (self-righteous). It's a bad movie, let's be honest. But it is one of those rare bad movies that has a charm all its own, hence its cult status. I've heard people complain that Woodward's character is totally lacking in sympathy. I sort of feel like that's the point. It's ok to empathize with the "bad guys" instead. If you've seen Ian McKellen play Richard III on film, you adore that evil manipulative tyrant. Same thing here. I found myself falling in love with this idyllic little Pagan utopia, where kids are taught about the Maypole's phallic symbolism, men and women make love in the fields, and the guy in charge wears a kilt...except for the small fact that they have this nasty little habit of human sacrifice.
Not everyone will like the movie. In fact, it's sort of a "love it or hate it" flick. If you enjoy a good bad movie and are interested in Paganism, this will be a delight. If you prefer serious films and don't give a fig about the old religion, well, it's probably not for you.
Rating:
Summary: Queen of the May, King for a Day
Review: It helps to go into "The Wicker Man" with only the barest plot details: a prim Scottish policeman investigates a girl's disappearance in a remote island community. The film begins with a title card thanking the "Lord Summerisle" for his assistance, so you know this, like "Fargo" and "Blair Witch", is based on real life. After a panoramic look at the islands off the west coast of Scotland, accompanied by Scottish folk music, Sergeant Howie arrives at Summerisle, and is instantly told by about ten grizzled islanders that he's arrived at "private property". For this is an island where those with Biblical names (Rachel and Benjamin) have long since died, and all the adults and children are named after trees: Myrtle, Willow, Ash, Oak, Rowan. Christians like Howie no longer have a place here. This setup is evocative of dozens of Hammer Horror movies and other British television horror (several "Avengers" and "Doctor Who" episodes spring to mind), all of which begin with the suspicious villagers who clearly have something to hide. So it's a credit to Anthony Shaffer's script that, as Howie's investigation unfolds, his own sense of revulsion soars right past the usual level of "disgusted" and goes all the way to "mortal fear". The theme of the movie is "hunted leading the hunter". It helps to keep an eye out for all the clues Howie misses along the way (at one point, Christopher Lee wearily asks, "Aren't you supposed to be the detective?"). When Howie finally finds his objective, that's when the real trap unfolds about him. I love the staging of the penultimate sequence high on the cliffs, almost as much as I love the staging of the final scene. Also of note is that the Wicker Man himself, the title character, is not even alluded to until those final moments. I'm not sure if it helps or hurts that I didn't know what a Wicker Man was until I watched the making-of documentary on the DVD ("The Wicker Man Enigma") after I'd seen the feature itself. Maybe I haven't seen enough British pagan horror. What's undeniable, though, is the effect his appearance has on Howie, and that's where the movie generates its real power. Look carefully for the DVD's easter egg, what appears to be a 1970's film discussion program from Louisiana. An overweight American in a powder-blue suit gushes his love for the film to studio guests Lee and director Robin Hardy. One of the film sequences played on the program is a scene deleted from the theatrical release, and only restored for the DVD limited edition: Christopher Lee and the amorous snails. The most fun part of this show is when the host enthusiastically compares Hardy to a young American director whose TV-movie debut, "Duel", recently found theatrical success on the Continent. He calls that man "Steven Shpielberg".
Rating:
Summary: "Time to keep your appointment with the Wicker Man."
Review: 'The Wicker Man' is a bit like a Hammer Horror with a degree. It's an unusual movie; part detective story; part drama; part horror; part folk musical; but all its elements fuse together perfectly. Edward Woodward is a police constable on the mainland in Scotland, who recieves an anonymous message informing him that a child on Summer Isle has gone missing. He is a dutiful, and deeply Christian officer who goes off to the island in his light plane to investigate. On arrival he finds a Pagan society (And thus, as a Christian, one that he finds disgusting.) and a whole bunch of people who are claiming that the missing girl never existed in the first place. 'The Wicker Man' is a marvellous film with an unforgettable climax. You need the extended version. It is much better than the original theatrical one. The movie was cut by the distributors on the rather peculiar grounds that they believed it to be abject garbage. Critics were more favourable, but the additional footage the director intended to have in the original version had gone missing. It was many years later that a copy of the film as the director had intended it was found (Apparently Roger Corman had the material.) and the elements finally restored. The film just makes more sense in its extended form. Howey (Woodward in a truly towering performance) now spends two nights on the island instead of one. Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee) makes an appearance much earlier in the film, and there are scenes at the beginning of the movie that emphasise Howey's Christian beliefs - we see him in the ritual holy communion (Only seen in the theatre version in a brief, meaningless flashback), which was intended to be echoed in the final Pagan ritual at the end. 'The Wicker Man' is a strange, but intelligent hybrid of a movie, with some great performances (And, er, Britt Ekland was... um... pretty, at least.) and a good, thoroughly researched script. Oh and give the folk songs a chance! By the third time you watch the movie (And you will want to watch it again and again) you'll be singing along.... "And on that tree there was a branch and on that branch there was a boy..."
Rating: 
Summary: Bad bad movie
Review: OK this is going to be a very short review this movie stinks. I felt like I was ripped off. I was not scared and just don't see how so many people liked this film. I like all types of films and art but this movie is horrible, terrible, and boring. But this is not the worst movie I have seen that distinction belongs to the classic 'Dawn of the Dead'. So I guess if you like 'Dawn of the Dead' then you might like this one. I was very disappointed with this film.
Rating:
Summary: Great Reviews!....Why?
Review: Oh man...this movie was bad. I heard a lot of good things about it. I heard it was scary, intelligent, and most of all entraining. So, I decided to fork out money for the special edition.
After finishing the movie I felt like all hope in humanity was lost....Okay, it's not that bad. However, I don't see how it could get so many great reviews! I mean I like a lot of movies from Magnolia to Hedwig and The Angry Inch. I figured this would be one of those movies that blow me away and I would go to each one of my family members and friends and tell them all about it.
Oh how I was wrong. The movie has a horrible story...if you do like this movie it's for the sex and sex only. It's boring, too long, and boring again! Don't buy this movie. Please, if you want to keep your soul intact DO NOT BUY NOR RENT THIS MOVIE!
Rating:
Summary: NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART
Review: I could give this movie 5 stars based on it's uniqueness and boldness alone. I have seen a lot of horror movies in my life but I have never (IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!) seen ANYTHING LIKE THIS! HORRIFIC is definitely the word! If lots of nudity bothers you THIS MOVIE IS NOT FOR YOU! If paganism bothers you THIS MOVIE IS NOT FOR YOU! If you are not bothered by shocking subject matter and like surprise endings THIS MOVIE IS FOR YOU! A short summary: A detective from the mainland goes to the island of Summerisle, which still actively and openly practices pagan rituals and traditions, in search of a missing girl. What he sees their horrifies him(and it horrified me also!)but he continues his search for the girl. When he finally figures out what is going on he decides to stay on the Island and continue his search for the girl.--BAD MOVE FOR HIM!!!! (I WOULD HAVE GONE BACK TO THE MAINLAND FOR BACK-UP LONG BEFORE. BUT HEY THAT'S JUST ME!) I was able to figure out the ending before it got there but it still took (me) a while. One thing I really like about this movie is all the lovely-sounding music. I really dug the music. The lyrics are bizarre but at the same time unique and refreshing. If you want to see something different and do not have a weak heart I say give it a try.--But don't say I didn't warn you!!!!!
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