Rating: 
Summary: Slow moving and a little bit silly...
Review: I finally saw the much lauded Wicker Man. It was pretty good but not at all deserving of the rapturous praise heaped on it. Basically it all hinges on the big surprise ending... It was interesting. It reaches its artistic highpoint when Christopher Lee is mincing around in a dress, wig, and make-up, followed by a parade of simpletons in animal masks, until they reach a cheap paper mache mock-up of Stonehenge, whereupon they all must stick their heads in a Motley Crue logo. No denying that it's weird. The music is engaging in the sense that it is so awkward that it initially commands attention, and then my brain lurches into a frenzy of confusion and embarrassment. And some of the deliberately "scary" imagery was really hilarious... Like the lady sitting on a gravestone with a baby on her lap, her facial expression at once blank and menacing... and in her outstretched hand sits... an egg? Funny! It is worth checking out but I doubt it will be a candidate for repeated viewings.
Rating: 
Summary: This is a great movie, with stunning performances.
Review: I could never imagine the lead roles in this movie being played by actors other than the magnificent Edward Woodward and Christopher Lee. They give the entire film a weight and importance in movie history that it might otherwise have missed. Woodward and Lee can act. Boy, can they ever.I have some interest in the new age movement and its purported derivation from pre-Roman Celtic religion. Yet I'm well aware that the largely agrarian world of the Celts was a harsh and violent environment, with animal and sometimes human sacrifices often accompanying the more peaceful and hoistic spritual aspects. This film depicts that blood-based world (put into a modern situation and context) magnificently. As a depiction of modern communal paganism it is very realistic, even though most new-agers would despise the emphasis on sacrifice and blood-letting. This is terrific movie-making.
Rating:
Summary: Shocks are so much better absorbed with the knees bent'
Review: So says Lord Summerisle in 'The Wicker Man,' a true cinematic rarity, an original, and 'intelligent,' horror film, just as Kubrick's '2001' is the quintessential 'intelligent' Sci Fi film. Boasting a superbly constructed story, an exemplary caste tailor made for their roles, and a truly shocking and disturbing ending, 'The Wicker Man' is a masterful exercise in escalating dread, with a harrowing climax that will leave you drained. I once heard this film referred to as the 'Citizen Kane' of horror films, but if I were to compare it to one of Orson's greats, I would say it bares a closer resemblance to the 'Magnificent Ambersons.' The reason for this is plain when you've searched for the film in the database; you find two listings, 'The Wicker Man,' and 'The Wicker Man (Limited Edition).' The former is the original cinematic release of the film, butchered and incomplete, the latter is a restored version that gives us 11 minutes of unseen footage, most of it important back story fleshing out the central character of Sergeant Neil Howie, wonderfully played by Edward Woodward. I said 'a' restored version, because what's presented to us is still not the complete film, but for more on that you have to watch the excellent documentary included in the 'extras.' Without giving too much away for those who haven't seen it, the basic story is as follows. Sergeant Howie - monstrously uptight and VERY Christian - a policeman on the Scottish mainland, receives an anonymous letter from Summerisle, off the Western Coast, telling him about the disappearance of a young girl, Rowan Morrison, and hinting at dire events to come. Howie flies off to the isle alone to investigate, and collides headfirst with the pre-Christian, or Pagan, belief system practiced there. Everywhere is godless symbolism; pagan fetishes, rampant lasciviousness, a mother putting a frog into a child's mouth to cure a sore throat, the villagers, and even the Rowan's own family, denying all knowledge of the girl. As if that wasn't enough, the good Sergeant Howie discovers something that for him, is absolutely the final straw' a ruined and desecrated church. With his search for the girl being stonewalled at every turn, and the realization that, from his point of view, the islanders are an utterly godless bunch, our hero turns, in high dudgeon, and extreme exasperation at the islanders beliefs and practices, to the head of the community, Lord Summerisle, played with relish and splendid urbanity by non other than Christopher Lee! His assumption that a 'Lord of the Land' will behave in a civilized and Christian manner is rudely dashed when he sees young girls dancing naked 'round a fire in the Manor grounds. Incredulous at this wanton display, he takes his Lordship to task, to which his Lordship calmly replies, 'Well naturally! It's much too dangerous to jump through fire with their clothes on!' Poor Sergeant Howie really is out of his depth, his Lordship not only condones the godless rituals of the islanders, he's their spiritual leader, 'We are a deeply religious people,' he gently admonishes the blustering police officer. With the knowledge that he is utterly alone, Sergeant Howie determines to discover the truth about Rowan Morrison. As distasteful as it is to him, he investigates the island religion in the local library, and becomes convinced that young Rowan is being held against her will, to be 'used' in some dreadful pagan ritual. From here the story accelerates to its harrowing conclusion, one that made my blood run cold when I saw it first, and still has the power to unsettle, all these years later. This is an extraordinary film, literate and lyrical, part horror film, part investigative thriller; it is a film I think you could genuinely say is unique, just don't expect any chainsaws or psychos! The performances are all 5 Star, with Christopher Lee in particular stating in the documentary something I have heard often over the years, that it is his favorite performance' an opinion I certainly would NOT disagree with! In fact I would go so far as to say that I think Lee and Woodward have never been better. As I said before, the 'Limited Edition' is, without a doubt, the version to watch, but be warned, whilst the transfer of the film is excellent overall, the restored footage is of noticeably inferior quality' although it does come in a very cool wooden box! Another element of the film that deserves recognition is the soundtrack; written especially for the production, it has a wonderful late 60's/early 70's folk feel about it, which adds immensely to the atmosphere of the film. And the documentary I've mentioned? Excellent! The makers managed to sit down with all the major player in the film, including Woodward and Lee, indeed, this is one of the most extensive interviews I've seen with Lee, who has his own theories as to what actually happened to the original 'Wicker Man' footage! If you are looking for an intelligent and unsettling film experience, then 'The Wicker Man' is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Rating: 
Summary: Okay ... I didn't get it!
Review: A Pagan friend of mine suggested this movie. I am Pagan, and love to watch movies with Pagan subjects. This movie is strange! It is not a positive depiction of Pagans. In fact, it stays well in the stereotype of Pagans offering up live sacrifices. Although, the Christian was not a very likable person either. It is not a horror movie, more of a thriller. The acting is not very good, and the photography bad as well. Can't really think of a good reason to see the film.
Rating:
Summary: A rare gem
Review: They literally don't make films like this anymore, and even then there was a terrible struggle to get this movie properly distributed in unadulterated form. What survived is wonderful--a truly beautiful, eerie, thoroughly provocative story that stirs up strange and complex emotions. I don't think the nudity is gratuitous. What it is is highly erotic, primal, animalistic, heathen--all the good things in life! Pour yourself a dark glass of wine and stick this in around midnight. You'll be howling at the moon before you know it. Enjoy.
Rating: 
Summary: "Literate" horror film delivers less than it promises
Review: "The Wicker Man" is yet another cult film that delivers much less than it promises. The problem is that the director - despite being the writer's friend! - doesn't understand how to turn a script that's almost all atmosphere and "suggestion" into an effectively scary film. A Sturges or Mankiewicz script has almost everything spelled out in the dialog; even an incompetent director couldn't totally ruin it. But a mystery/horror film that builds to a surprise ending needs to start that build at the very beginning and not let up. "The Wicker Man"'s direction is far too flat and literal for this to occur. And when the trap is sprung (so to speak) at the end, the film slogs to its conclusion, rather than rushing to its violent shock ending. "The Wicker Man" would have been far more effective had it had been directed by Jacques Tourneur, who repeatedly demonstrated he knew how to scare an audience without actually showing anything. Take, for example, "Curse of the Demon." Even without the "literal" beginning and ending tacked on by the producer, the film is creepily suggestive and even frightening, even though we see little of the supernatural - until the end. Another good example is "Mimic." The basic idea is so preposterous that the film can work only on atmosphere - and del Toro delivers. The build-up is so effective that we accept the ridiculous, biologically impossible monsters when they appear. The two-disk "Wicker Man" set contains the heavily cut theatrical release on the first disk, along with an excellent documentary about the making of the film. The transfer is crisp, with very clean, natural color. The second disk is the longer, less-heavily-cut cut, with the deleted scenes inserted from a 1" videotape transfer of that version. The insertions are plainly visible, with no attempt to sharpen the image or correct the color balance. The deluxe set comes in a nice wooden box. Perhaps, when your pet gerbil dies, you could put him in the box and incinerate it.
Rating: 
Summary: Superflous nudity, but a great film
Review: This film was exceptionally good as both a horror film (which it is, but in a cerebral way) and as a good mystery (which it also is). There's some nudity in the film which doesn't contribute to the story but seems to just be there to provide lewd entertainment value. Aside from that, it's a magnificent film and well worth the cost of the DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Haunting memories of a WICKER MAN....
Review: I happened to stumble across this movie years ago when they use to show all of the older horror movies on tv over the weekend. I never forgot the movie or its horrific ending. I am glad that Anchor Bay gave it such special treatment, releasing a longer restored version. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Rating:
Summary: Engrossing mediation on dogma
Review: This is not a horror movie in the generally understood sense, but since it has Christopher Lee in it, I guess people expect that it will be. But be prepared for something more cerebral: the Wicker Man won't have you leaping behind the sofa (well, not out of fright, at any rate) but it will tax your sensibilities: a sense of dawning, slowly spreading dread will get under your skin. That's a far more difficult stunt for a director to pull off. For all this sense of dread, the Wicker Man is a considered rumination on a clash of beliefs. Woodward is superbly cast as an out-and-out prude of a Christian policeman, lured from his beat on the conventional Scottish mainland to an isolated Scottish Isle to investigate an allegation of a missing person. The isle quickly reveals itself to be (in Sgt. Howie's view) a den of disgusting iniquity, its population given over to the practice of pagan rites in place of decent, traditional Christian Values. The epicentre of activity is the local pub, the Green Man. This is the first score the film makes: the Green Man is a figure from Celtic myth and the rituals and beliefs associated with it have been around, in the British Isles, longer than Christianity itself. And the pagans run rings around poor, starched Sgt. Howie. Howie fulminates, he fumes, and bridles beneath his policeman's uniform, of which he barely removes even his hat. The locals, by contrast, are quite happy to remove pretty much everything, indulging in sins of the flesh in nearly every direction that Howie can turn. Christopher Lee is marvellous as the gentrified spokesperson for this way of life. He remarks to Howie that he could live with the animals: "They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins." Howie, by contrast, positively revels in weeping for his, and those of the islanders. .... Screenplay writer Shaffer alludes to another ancient pagan mythology in developing this point: One night Howie is tempted, like Odysseus, by a singing siren in the form of Landlord's daughter Britt Ekland, knocking on the his wall and enticing him to sample her wares. By the skin of his teeth (and by dint of staying the other side of the wall) Howie retains his pyjamas and maintains his composure, though I daresay viewers will have trouble doing so: it is an extraordinarily erotic scene. But it is not gratuitous: in steadfastly refusing to give himself over to temptation, Howie unwittingly sets himself up for the awful resolution of the film. It is difficult to discuss much of the rest of the Wicker Man without giving the game away, and this rob the film of much of its impact. Suffice to say it's a truly startling, haunting finish, the final scene instilling real dread and horror not so much in Howie's own predicament (although this is surely dreadful enough), but the viewer's realisation (which Howie himself never makes) that his whole scheme of belief will not save him or in any way mitigate his own fate. Oddly this ending met with approval amongst church leaders, who pronounced the film profoundly Christian in depicting Howie's heroic final stance. That's not how I saw it: to my eyes the entire film is an essay in the futility of Christian thought: as he rails impotently against the inevitable fate he has brought on himself, it is Howie himself who is the Wicker (i.e., straw) Man. And at his demise, the sun comes up on the isle, as if nothing had happened. --This text refers to the DVD edition
Rating:
Summary: The Wicker Man
Review: One thing I notice about contemporary films as of late is the lack of originality, creativity. We often find ourselves comparing films to another, and eventually getting tired of the same old same old as they become all to familiar. It is refreshing however to go back in the vault and retrieve a film, that possibly started it all, the first of its kind, etc. The Wicker Man, for me, is my kind of fresh escapism. The Wicker Man has a very simple plot, yet is complex. Police Sgt. Howie (Edward Woodward) receives an unnamed letter from an island called Summerisle. The letter explains the disappearance of a girl, in which he is asked if he could investigate and hopefully solve the case. Howie, accepting the proposal, travels to the remote island and right off the bat begins his investigation. Although the seemingly peaceful community is a lot more than meets the eye. Being a deeply religious man (Christian) he begins to see the island community is one large cult, and as he digs further into the investigation, he digs further into secrets and plights he may regret. The mystery plot leaves the viewer hanging right up till the end. On which all concludes to the best ending to any movie I have witnessed. As said before, the movie is highly original. As far as I can tell, it is incomparable to any movie I have seen, and with good reason. Public intercourse, cakes and candies in the shape of nurslings and humans, rituals that consist of dancing around open fires unclothed and the wearing of strange animal costumes. This, however, is only a small piece of the film cake. Also there are far more elements that are both interesting and distinctive. It utilizes bits of symbolism, with musical sequences, thrills, bizarreness, and horror- I guess variety is the spice of life. The Wicker Man also introduces us to captivating performances. Director Robin Hardy clearly new what he was doing, and he got the most out of the actors he was given to work with. Edward Woodward did a beautiful job, nailing a confused, spooked, and disgusted religious zealot right on the spot. Expressing every mood perfectly, making the performance convincing. Christopher Lee also gave a startling performance as Lord Summerisle. Creating a most subtle and clever character, delivering each line with fashion. Even the minor actors of the film all proved impressive. The script was very well written. Lines of dialogue were witty yet subtle, i.e. "Naturally, it's much to dangerous to jump through fire with your clothes on." And the score was very strange and different: Folk and tribal music, which fits well with the movie's theme(s). The Wicker Man proves to be a worthwhile film. Combining erotica with horror, mystery to musical. It is greatly done from beginning to end. Made perfect with substance, not special effects.
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