This is for you, romantics, this is my film dedicated to you, lovers.
I have noticed that the most important criterion in evaluating 'The Wicker Man' is whether or not you watched the original 1973 film, which became a cult movie. Watchers tend to snort contemptuously. Opinions of those who did not watch differ, as do all the paintings with Nicolas Cage, published since the early 2000s, but, in general, much more loyal.
I haven’t seen a movie with Christopher Lee, which I regret. But while this annoying oversight is not corrected, without any bias I can talk about the film Neil Labut, which, in general, I liked.
The rating of the picture is quite humiliating - especially on American websites, fees are also deplorable. Nevertheless, the aborigines can be understood: firstly, most of them have seen the same classics, and they have something to compare with, secondly, the number of quality genre films is immeasurably higher, and, thirdly, 'The Wicker Man' at first glance, it really is quite ridiculous. He reminded me of a slightly later 'Harvet' with Hilary Swank - the same theme of religious cult, strange girls, sacrifices and general ' incompleteness' product with good potential.
But for all his absurdity, he still manages to create tension in his best moments, and even makes him empathize with the hero and demand justice, which is not so often found in the genre, where most characters are created for a quick and spectacular death.
No matter what they say about Nicholas Cage, he is a good actor, and can be on the screen a person whose experiences and actions are interesting to watch. Here he rather believably turns as the plot moves from a rather confident detective hunter to a completely confused and ignorant victim, frightened and confused. Cage's corporate excitement is quite appropriate here, and when he begins to hysterically hysterically about and without reason, you quite assume that such a hero would behave like this. Therefore, I have no complaints to Cage, I generally, by the way, do not share the screams about ' career decline', ' endless fall into the abyss of thrash' and others invented by the yellow press to describe the last decades of the actor’s career phrase combination. Just Cage, like Bruce Willis or, for example, the incredibly talented John Malkovich, are not very picky, and, as Stephen King said, ' make sausages' that is, just work where they are called, do their job in proportion to the quality of the product, are in the workflow, and do not sit and wait until the same brilliant director with the same brilliant script falls from somewhere. To accuse the actor of being ' rolled' is pointless. Ingenious scenarios appear one in a thousand, and you have to work. And who but people living in typical high-rise buildings, and not in the palaces of San Sousi, understand this.
But back to the movie. So, Cage is quite in place. And the director Neil Labout quite skillfully builds the film on the principle of a computer game. That is, the hero is fussing around a certain area, getting into traps, then finding some keys that seem to lead him to a fight with the boss. But the fight doesn't happen because the finale will turn everything upside down. After the films Shyamalan and Amenabara this does not cause shock, but it certainly causes interest. Undoubtedly, also managed to feel the closed space. Despite the bright daytime colors, the island on which the sweaty Cage runs is alarming. And the strangeness of the behavior of people around him increases this feeling.
The emphasis in the film is clearly shifted towards the confrontation of the sexes, which, probably in the era of 'MeToo' and generally militant feminism, hardly added to the film points. Women on ' the cursed island without a calendar' extremely unpleasant, men reduced to the level of dumb cattle, and the only ' normal' the man here - ironically, permanently falling into hysteria Cage, at every step doing stupidities and proving that the victory of women in the battle of the sexes, in general, is predetermined. It looks funny, although not as absurd as I would like. To enhance the degree of what is happening on the island sura Director could not /b> or did not want. However, the atmosphere ' strange place ' and hopelessness he managed to create. Yes, and the viewer, moving from indifference and sympathy to malicious bitterness in the final, the director manages to manage. In addition, the film makes you think about how women control the male world on a subtle level, and when in the finale you suddenly conclude that this would not have happened if the character of the film, for example, was gay, or the very uncouth sexist consumer, against whom the feminist movement is fighting, it becomes very funny.
The whole community of our civilized society, all our laws, everything that is invented and written in books and constitutions, all reason and logic, suddenly break against the wall of the great centuries-old human darkness, if it is systematized and raised into a cult. In the story Herbert Wells 'Land of the Blind' the sighted hero loses in a battle with blind people who believe that he is abnormal. 39: A hero armed with knowledge, logic, law and even weapons can do nothing, because everything that arms him works against him when it is necessary to act like a cave, like a bear. The funny costume of the bear, in which the hero Cage wears for a short time, does not suit him, he is alien to him, and just as he, caught off guard a beetle in an anthill, or, using the terminology of the film, a drone in a hive, did what he was called for and was destroyed as unnecessary, as an alien, too logical, too incomparable with the world of ancient devilishness and slavish submission element.
There are two principles in us: rational, nurtured by evolution and natural. And while the mind encroaches on the world's problems, the natural easily puts in a puddle. Great empires threw themselves at the feet of beautiful and dangerous Mademoiselles, wars began and ended, in the end, Guy Ritchie made bad movies to please his wife!
39: I have lost myself and I am not here. Romeo is not, Romeo will not be found & #39; Very interesting actually, the movie, if you try to dig a little deeper than the external absurdity, which I talked about at the beginning. And I beg you, if you see a beautiful girl in the bar, keep drinking beer with your friend and discussing football. You'll be targeted.
I love Nicolas Cage’s “Faceless,” “The Gun Baron,” “Gone in 60 Seconds,” and even “Kick-Ass.” We advised you to see this, the truth about the “Wrapped man” has never heard before.
A former cop sits at home on pills after a long-running and rather bizarre incident on the road. And then suddenly comes a letter from the ex, who for some reason decided that her fiancé, whom she once abandoned, will help her find the missing daughter. She lives on a remote private island whose inhabitants are strange. But what to do, a friend needs to help, and at the same time find out what the hell she ran away from him.
And I can tell you, like those people on the island, the movie was pretty weird. Of course, the plot intrigued me a lot, particularly because of the plot twists. By about the middle of the film, you no longer understand who the characters are. Where is she, is that true? What happened to the girl?
However, the main characters did not come to me personally. First, Cage's hero smiled too much and cranky, which is hardly to be expected from a gloomy cop who saw "everybody." These characters are usually shown very differently.
Yes, and the girlfriend did not cause any emotions, except - and could not be found more sweet? I would have believed it more if there was another girl in her place who asked Edward (the cop) to pick her up off the island. The same madam did not wedge into the environment at all.
But, strangely enough, I am amused by the fight scene. This in our time is definitely not to meet, because otherwise there will be some “defenders” who will definitely get the scene cut out of the film. And Cage will be made to apologize. But I liked it.
There are films that must be classified as 'Forbidden films'. Movies that cannot just be made and released. And if they are not, then they will see it. There are films that are banned in certain countries of the world. Why wasn't this movie banned? For what purpose was it made, as well as the film 'The Wicker Man' 1973?
Police officer Edward (Nicholas Cage) receives a strange letter from a remote island. He writes to the girl Willow, with whom they were engaged. Roan, a girl, is missing on the island. Edward, as a police officer, is asked to come to the island to investigate. Edward, despite certain oddities, goes to a mysterious island alone, without thinking about his partner.
He gets to the island without any problems.
People on the island are acting weird. The oddity is collective. They seem harmless. Pagans. They worship nature. For them, pagan holidays are extremely important. Everything is calm, peaceful and cozy.
Edward finds his Willow among these people. She is in a kind of incomprehensible state, as if she does not understand much that is happening. Where the girl Roan is, he can't tell. But it turns out that Roan is their daughter together.
Edward tries to investigate, but the case is not clear.
Edward finds himself at night in a building for which there is a definite purpose.
The island is dominated by women. There are only girls in the classroom. Lots of girls. Men exist, but they are passive, guided.
But these people need to perform a rite to worship their goddess of fertility. Love nature, they like bees. Bees have their own way of life. A certain role in the female, which is a worker, determined in the male.
The finale of the film is shocking, leaves in confusion, torpor. These people are finely planned in advance. For the ritual of his goddess.
This remake differs from the original in some details.
There is more emphasis on the pagan culture of the Druids, Celts. More emphasis on matriarchy. Here Edward acts as the girl's father, in the 1973 film the hero is innocent. In the 1973 film, the hero is a Christian, and the fact that he remains faithful to his faith until the end of the film is the only bright place in the whole plot.
The performance of the actors does not doubt the reliability. And N. Cage reliably played his hero, full of naivety, doubt, kindness.
Terrible, disgusting, disgusting the whole plan 'The Wicker Man'. Why do you do that once and then make a remake? What can these films teach us? Does someone have to be a victim for a crazy idea? Isn't that crazy? No, everyone has the right to life. And no one dares to infringe on that right! And even more so so subtle, nasty, mean, vile.
For me, since childhood, Nicolas Cage has been a hero of one role - the brave, kind and fair Cameron Poe from ' Air Prison' who, thanks to his positive qualities, becomes the winner. And if we talk about feelings and emotions, after the first viewing 'The Wicker Man' on the disc I was in such shock, which can put a rare film. It was a couple of hours and only after watching ' Air Prison' was able to get out of this out. Once again, a good man becomes a worthy winner.
A film ' The Wicker Man' it is desirable to attribute in 'Forbidden films'. No one should watch it. Why did this movie come about?
Conclusion: ' it is better to bypass this film by side'
Retired police officer Edward receives a letter from his ex-fiancée asking him to find his daughter missing on a remote island. Arriving at the scene, the hero discovers a society of women living separately from the entire civilization. They pray to the goddess of fertility and offer sacrifices every year. After a series of strange events, Edward realizes that such a victim may be the same missing girl.
The film is a remake of the original 1973, but since the original has passed my attention, it remains to consider this work with a new unbiased view. To be honest, there is nothing to consider here.
The whole film is a thriller with elements of a detective, seasoned with old as the world, theme of sectarianism, rite and other things. Nicolas Cage with an anxious face walks from one strange aunt to another, gets ambiguous answers to his questions, and gradually begins to reveal the terrible world around him. Let me tell you right away: the atmosphere here was wonderful. An island more like a dense forest; a small village; women who work all day in the gardens and look at the hero with undisguised hostility. Nicholas immediately finds himself in a hostile world and does not yet attach this meaning, unlike the viewer who immediately begins to feel some kind of anxiety.
But you can't eat in the same atmosphere. Although the plot tries to present some surprises, it is not particularly exciting to call it. In addition, the authors often echo the detective shell with ' hallucinations'. Sometimes the main character catches strange trips. For the plot, they do not play a full-fledged role (consider useless stretching of timekeeping), but they dilute the narrative with creepy phenomena. Which, by the way, in the end, disappear.
It’s a little bit weirder than the last fifteen minutes. From the moment Cage puts on a bear costume to the very credits, the authors seemed to think ' let’s make an unobtrusive comedy?!'. I don't know about the others, but it was ridiculous to see what was going on, even though it wasn't meant to be. I'm not talking about the famous scene 'BBPE' by Cage. The final twist turned out to be good, even though it felt like they had come up with the case on their knees; here’s what’s next... and sad and funny. Really.
However, after watching the film still managed to leave a oppressive feeling.
Cage didn't blow it. The famous actor with such interest and fervor portrays anger, rage and fear that you involuntarily begin to perceive his character as real. It is possible that the problem is overplay.
'The woven man' is a good thriller on the subject of pagan cults with an interesting denouement, which, unfortunately, is ruined by a very painful middle and an absolutely inadequate finale. But you can see. One time.
Mysterious Celtic tribes have long gone into oblivion, but their legacy has not disappeared. Sometimes it manifests itself in the most incomprehensible ways and causes people to commit unthinkable acts in the name of a belief that requires rigidity and sacrifice for the benefit of the whole society. Of course, this happens far from the hearths of modern civilization and is a kind of coven that has nothing to do with common sense, but sometimes it exceeds the limits of what is allowed, after which the blood of the innocent is spilled. Unfortunately, most of the atrocities of the sectarians remain hidden from the eyes of savvy investigators, but sometimes we do manage to get scraps of disturbing information, after which serious doubts creep about the mental health of people who chose voluntary exile and decided that they have nothing to do in a society allegedly drowning in defilement and misunderstanding. Periodically in print publications and on television reveal some horrifying moments, in detail describing the activities of sectarians, and this invariably attracts the attention of the public, which on the one hand wants to be a little scared, and on the other to have fun with tickling nerves. And in part, stories about the blood-colding sacrifice of living people in our civilized times served as inspiration for the creation of one of the most significant horrors in the history of world cinema. We are talking about the unforgettable tape of Robin Hardy “Waited Man”, which appeared at the box office in 1973 and showed that sometimes a person can scare us much more than vampires, werewolves and zombies combined. By placing a dangerous but doubtful police officer at the center of the story, Robin Hardy brought the atmosphere of the inevitable nightmare to its highest climax and showed that in some cases evil cannot be stopped. Fanaticism, born on religious or social grounds, tends to penetrate into the very roots of the mind, after which it permanently poisons the body and is able to dissolve only after the death of a person. However, even such a significant film as “The Wicker Man” did not escape the fate of being rethought with the advent of the new century. And if the same “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” or “House of Wax Figures” was lucky only to benefit from the creation of remakes, then “The Wicker Man” had to be content with only small.
So, the plot of the film introduces us to the officer Edward Mailus (Nicholas Cage), who is not in the best physical and emotional conditions. Having experienced a tragic incident, which is impossible to forget, the hero with varying success tried to drive away the ghosts of what happened, but they again and again envelope his consciousness, not allowing you to enjoy the life colors. But one day Edward has a chance to deal with the past and move into the future. To do this, he must find a girl who has disappeared on the remote commune island of Summersile. According to an unexpected report from a long-time lover, the missing baby is Edward’s blood daughter, and therefore he cannot refuse to find her, because in fact the girl becomes the last reason that forces the officer to move forward. However, finding himself in the location of a closed society, the hero begins to realize that his real problems are only beginning. The commune, which lives by strict rules, is not going to reveal its secrets to the visitor, and yet Edward is not going to back off. Moreover, there are reasons to suspect the leadership of the island of uncleanness and intimidation of local residents who are afraid to once again enter into a dialogue with a stranger. So Edward will have to work hard to find at least some leads and get on the trail of the girl. Step by step, he makes his way through the wilderness of lies and deception to finally see a revelation they will never personally forget.
The imperishable work of Robin Hardy, in addition to the incredible cultural influence on the whole genre, was also marked by a truly magnificent performance of Christopher Lee, one of the best actors of his generation, who personified the dark side of human whims and desires, and therefore the director Neil LaBoute grew up with a very difficult task to satisfy the claims of fans of the original, and at the same time to open the curtain of plot collisions for a younger and ignorant generation. And at first, everything said that LaBute will cope with the challenges and give us a worthy rethinking of the classics. Such arguments were met by the excellent directorial debut of the master, the ironic comedy In the company of men, which grows from his own play. LaBout has established himself as a talented storyteller and an extraordinary playwright who perfectly understands his work. Thanks to this, his plans to revive the fame of the “Waderman” were not in doubt, and the participation in the leading roles of Nicholas Cage, who had not yet had time to tarnish his reputation, reinforced interest and forced to follow everything related to the production. But as soon as the film was released, it became obvious that LaBute is unable to cope with other people’s ideas and is able to work exclusively with what is born in his imagination or co-written with talented authors. “The wicker man” of the 2006 model was incredibly expected, but in fact turned out to be a mediocre and secondary picture that is unable to raise the degree of tension even to the middle level, and the intrigue, born in a rather good introduction, is destroyed before our eyes due to the inability of LaBute to feel the narrative and saturate it with juicy artistic details, from which the story causes boredom and does not cause much interest.
As for Nicolas Cage himself, for him, “The Wicker Man” is one of those first suspicious works, after which his filmography began to meet increasingly marginal and dubious projects that test the strength of his crystal clear reputation. The desire to make a remake of the classics of Robin Hardy is easy to understand, because before no one even planned to remake the picture, which for decades after the premiere looks still fresh and relevant. And the figure of the director Neil LaBoute itself spoke about itself in a trusting form, from which Cage did not have suspicions about the upcoming shooting. But at the same time, he had to take into account that some classics are not reshootable and can not be processed by modern methods, as it was done in one of the versions of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre by producer Michael Bay. The mood, atmosphere and precepts of “Waderman” in spite of the mass popularity of the film have always been specific, they could not be treated superficially, as one wrong step led to absolute artistic failure.
However, Nicolas Cage has always been eccentric, and if he wanted to be in his own version of “Wader Man”, then nothing could stop him. At the same time, the actor did not really understand that in addition to sadness and fatigue, he needed to show. But when he had the opportunity to properly scream and build another grimace for all time, he did not miss such a gift and again pleased fans with incorruptible shots that cause hysterical laughter and smiles at the top of his mouth, for which Cage and LaBute are worth thanking.
5 out of 10
I got to know The Wicker Man through a review of the Nostalgic Critic. And I loved the 1973 movie. He wasn't anything special, he didn't bring anything new to the art of film, but he was a good, interesting detective with a very unexpected and violent ending. I was condescending to the remake with Cage, and many scold the remake, but I admitted that the film could turn out to be “average”, because the original also lacked stars from the sky.
But at the end of this film is bad and the film has only one problem - it is terribly boring and not interesting. The plot repeats the plot of the original, except that the main character is looking for his daughter, and not an outside girl. And the “woven man” is just a typical remake and the problems he has are the same as all remakes: he takes and repeats the frames and moments from the original film, and this is all over, he does not make them interesting, any new, he just repeats them boringly.
Here, for example, is the scene where the protagonist dresses up in a pagan costume. In the original it looked intriguing, for the hero was worried because he did not know how to behave in this suit, he was made a comment, and you were worried about him. And here? Cage put on a suit and just calmly went, not even trying to disguise himself, not creating any intrigue, he just goes in a suit. Or, for example, where the main character saves the girl. In the original, it looked terrible and exciting, because the hero was worried, and in the remake, Cage ... just runs bored through the forest with a girl and that's it. That very ending may have turned out to be unexpected, but again, unlike the original, where the hero fought, it does not look interesting here. This ending, it just happens here and that's it, it doesn't look intriguing or exciting. And so with everything else: talking to the director, who sheds light on the history of the island, questioning the residents, it all just happens, but it's not interesting and boring. In fact, the film is Cage’s hikes from one part of the island to another. Speaking of which.
Many people say that Cage pulls out a movie. But no, the cop from the original was a brave and discreet cop who led the investigation. And Cage just walks around with a stone face and taunts in a monotonous voice. He looks like he doesn't know what he's doing here. He says, “I just read the text and that’s it.”
And on top of that, I have a few questions for the story. And why was this backstory with a hit truck car, if it is not explained and does not affect the plot? If the movie had started with just Cage reading a letter from his ex-wife, nothing would have changed. What kind of car was that with a woman and a daughter? What was the line with the pills that Cage ate throughout the film, if it also does not affect the plot and his hallucinations.
It’s not clear why there are so many bad ratings that the film didn’t please.
I’ll tell you right away, I didn’t see the original, and there’s no point.
The plot is very logical. So would a very good guy, burdened with a sense of duty and guilt.
Of course, he did not forget his ex, so he rushed to the first click. All inconsistencies in her behavior are noticeable to the viewer, but not the hero. He really wants to believe, save and thus return the woman. And she considers her a kind of fool, so she does not pay attention to her passivity in the search.
The ex looks fine, too. She initially blows at her mother’s dood, so she uses her ex, as women do, which is very common. It should not stand out in any way, precisely in its passivity and lethargy and meaning, if one does not understand. She's lying to him.
And the manipulation of a woman about being the daughter of a hero. Then he can not stop and even if the whole world is against and prevents - he will bring the case to the end and save his daughter. It makes perfect sense. Millions of American films are involved in this - the main character saves the world or at least a family. The question is, did you save it? This is the ending that happens more often in life. Bruce Willis would have played the lead role.
Remaking the plot for feminism is also good. In the original, as far as I know, this was not the case. And then there was not much meaning to what was happening. Why run and why such a final.
It makes sense here. Feminists themselves are not very kind (unlike some druids). And the question is why the main character - because he is cool, achieves a goal and a good man. That's what Cage needs. For what will happen.
In the end, the grandmother, mother and daughter look very good together.
It's not a horror movie. And what does it have to be on the screen to cause horror? It's thriller, drama and more interesting.
10 out of 10
Despite, perhaps, blunders, small inconsistencies, not the game of actors, etc., but to find fault with them is like some find fault with spelling and grammatical errors, without delving into and not understanding the essence.
I would like to give this assessment to all films that make you think the next day. The moral of the film will be understood.
I just want to say that I included this film solely for the sake of Nicholas Cage, and did not regret it, because there was enough of it. Great play, facial expressions and charisma, as always nice to watch his work.
In general, the work of the actors, which clearly did not please me, is working with the camera, and directing in some places. It would be worth paying more attention to the moments to show the hidden alienation and the very plight of the cop he finds himself in. Everything was taken in fragments, as if the author was trying to show as soon as possible what he did.
Now to the story and to the general complaints.
The horror of the film is clearly far away, here you can agree with the opinion of society. But like detective and drama, it's pretty good. Small tips scattered throughout the film, which make you think what is happening in this brew of events, make you follow along with the main character to the solution and a very good ending, which you do not want to believe, but when thinking, everything comes to logic.
The film not only confuses you to amaze you at the end, but also gives good hints so that the viewer himself understands how everything happens and how it will end. The main thing is to look carefully, listen and delve into what is happening.
Completely satisfies such a plot, which is very well thought out.
Well, let's sum up, not terrible, with not the best shooting, but with a good plot, charismatic main character ready for anything, with an excellent detective note.
I was not looking for a horror to scare, but a good film and I found it, my assessment:
8 out of 10
From the very beginning, the film is intriguing and you start to expect more from it. There are moments where you want to fall asleep, and there are a couple that can not even come off.
Everything spoils the ending of the film, and not even that it is bad or too bad.
There is nothing in the film that leads to her, and what happens in the end will be a sharp surprise. But this does not color the film, because there should be hints of the premise, and sucking the unexpected end out of your finger is far from the lot of professionalism.
Cage plays well, emotionally, but the hero does not cause pity or sympathy too much stupidity during the investigation.
When you find out at the end the reason for his stay there - The only question left is why the whole circus is on Poison? It is enough just to lure our hero there, and then you keep him in prison until the ritual, until he broke firewood for you, but he could!
Immediately you can see that there are residents are not in themselves, well, the connection does not catch I understand, but you can get out at least for help from the skeleton ... (Cage is that you?)
Apparently, the local girls just wanted to have fun playing the hero and leading by the nose. Because there's nothing to investigate. The main thing is to lure to the island.
The fact that the police for years not looking for their investigators missing in the investigation on this island is generally surprising.
Well, the guy left to look for the girl and did not come back, well, think about who was not with him, he is not the first here, every year they leave so, apparently, the local authorities think so.
Bottom line: in itself an interesting plot, with a lot of flaws and understatements, but this is not the genre where the viewer can think up himself. There are many unanswered questions about this film.
4.5 out of 10
You can't put your hand higher. It’s only because with the right approach, it wouldn’t be a bad movie!
Make no illusions about the masses, said one great thinker. Jesus Christ and Joseph Stalin were naive dreamers. That's what you paid for. Christ died a painful death and Stalin, according to some studies, was also killed. And to Nicolas Cage in the film, his stupidity brings a sad end. In today’s world, even children can step up. One feature that draws attention. In Wicker Man 1973, the police officer was also a zealous Christian (if you believe his ears, then a virgin in addition), and Somerseyle is an island of pagans. In 2006, Cage was just a police officer. I mean, an employee of the state. People can be considered religious in general. It turns out to be a confrontation between secularism and religion. And in this confrontation, obscurantism wins. Bloodthirsty sectarians in the film often utter the phrase "kill the drone" and something similar. Back in Soviet times, police officers were said to go to the authorities when they did not want to work at the factory. But Cage is a good cop. He honestly tries to restore order in society, to do good to people. How to understand this based on the plot of the picture? One should probably understand this: people do not deserve communism (authoritative people say that communism is short – when all people serve the state and work for society). They don't. Let them fight each other. Getting smart. These are controversial thoughts in my head.
Nicolas Cage hits women in bear costume, watch without registration and SMS
A completely unique horror film of its kind, fooling the audience just like the sectarian islanders of the hero of this picture.
The first hour of the narrative "The Wicker Man" diligently adheres to its original positioning: the missing girl, sacrifices, the mentioned sectarians and other devilish things. True, there are almost no horrors here, and the surrounding environment is at all suitable only for the melodrama of the era of the XIX century - so much the scene of the film blooms and smells. But this does not particularly prevent you from plunge into the atmosphere of mystery, when the viewer, along with the hero Cage, is overcome by persistent paranoia. Who's lying? Ex-girlfriend or the entire local population? Intrigues and omissions will last until the end.
To be more precise, we held on if the script for the last half hour had not been rewritten by some unfortunate comedian. Mysteries and secrets are rolling to hell, and everything that happens further slides into an outright farce with an armed bicycle theft and sharp cracks in a tambourine from Cage in a grizzly suit. For a dramatic thriller, this whole circus is a death sentence without the right to pardon, but these metamorphoses occur so unexpectedly that it remains only to be filled with laughter.
The incredible contrast between the main action and the final act makes Wicker Man one of the most original comedies ever. That’s just how he did not think. Have you thought about it?
Accidentally, Edward Mayulis witnesses a terrible highway accident in which a woman and her strange daughter die. Stress, depression and all things radically change the life of the main character, making him already a former police officer. And then he sits at home (and the weather is so wonderful in the yard), drinks, fever, remembering that terrible day. Having received a letter from his old friend, who asks him to come to some island and find her missing daughter, Mr. former policeman puts on a suit and goes there, somewhere there, to some island where a certain matriarchy reigns, which has created in recent years a sectarian hit parade of religious fanatics and witnesses of the bald trait.
Those stupid, stupid American remakes. Creating something new, of course, is more difficult than taking the old as a basis, making your own corrections, and, in the end, boasting about the work done, giving it completely for your own without remembering the work of people related to the creation of the original. Such a concept as “remake”, in principle, in nature should exist, but it should be approached delicately and very thought out. For requesting a Hollywood star for the main role or stuffing the tape with any different computer toffee is far from enough.
Director and co-writer of the script Neil LaBout went the easiest way. On a high-quality foundation in 1973, he simply and stupidly built his parachute. Well, the first and almost the main mistake of this film I consider the choice of the actor for the main role. Nicolas Cage was the only man on a strange island of sectarian women. By and large, not only he, but also his hero was far from an interesting guy who went without knowing where, looking without knowing what.
The whole film is an ordinary absurdity of searching for a girl whose fate was already clear from the first minutes of staying on the island and communicating with a large pack of vaginal bandits, who, by the way, like the main character "Lieutenant Colombo" did not really know who they were, what to do and how to behave when asked: "Where is the girl?". Around the green grass, peacefully flying bees, women are preparing for the ritual of sacrifice, and our protagonist wanders around the island and looking for a solution to the mystery, which is no longer a mystery to bees.
I haven’t seen the original movie, but I liked it. I hate sects in any form, and in this film, this topic is fully covered. The film is not stressful, it is interesting to watch. And I love the bad endings. So this film made me particularly happy.
The only thing is that I was just pissed off by the stupid actions of the hero Nicolas Cage. So his hero got exactly the ending he deserved. I'm not sorry at all. Stupidity should be punishable.
I won’t describe the story – look for yourself. But there's nothing clever about the movie. In addition to Nicolas Cage, Ellen Burstyn can be noted, but I like this actress in almost all films. And here her heroine succeeded in glory. The other actors are not particularly remembered. It is worth noting that there are many female characters in the picture. Especially the ones that make me angry. Stupid and zombified. I really wanted them to follow Cage’s hero in the final. But it stayed in my dreams. That's why it's worth it.
Sometimes you have to watch bad movies. It is necessary that perception is not blurred and that there is something to compare with. The fact that “Wader Man” is just such, disgusting by default, unobtrusively hinted at a rating of 3.6 out of 10 and five nominations for Golden Raspberry, and, therefore, anticipating the terrible, I sat down to watch it.
And, frankly, expectations were not met. I, for some reason, thought that it would be disgustingly colorful, with ugly scenes of sacrifices and frightening, at the level of primitive instincts, sharp changes of angles (well, the favorite move by directors, when they can not create a terrible atmosphere, and you need to scare the viewer). But no, it's just boring. During the two hours that the film lasts, dull as an accountant or a Russian Postal worker, Nicholas Cage walks around an island full of suspicious aunts and tells them that he is a de-cop, and if anything, he will use force. (By the way, he was told openly that a child had been abducted and that it was planned to be sacrificed. He is a police officer with weapons.
Other residents of the island add their share of the absurdity: the aunt-buffetress dressing up in a bear costume, Cage’s ex-girlfriend, who did not answer any of the questions of our super-detective (no, it did not seem suspicious to him), the teacher Rosa and, of course, the main villain – Sister Summersil, a master of bee metaphors. She declared herself, not much less, the viceroy of God and keeps the island in hedgehog mittens. Yes, men, on this island are despised and used only for reproduction, and Cage himself lovingly called Trutney.
So, with jokes and jokes, the film moves to its finale. How predictable and readable immediately from the moment the hero landed on the island, so ridiculous and unnecessary.
The verdict is a great example of how a beautiful idea embodied in the original film can be destroyed and trampled. And how to turn a potentially perfect thriller into tasteless semolina. Cold and clumpy. The only thing you expect from a movie is that it ends soon.
Just because it's so stupid, even funny and for a scene with a fight in a bear suit
2 out of 10
In general, this film behaves like a thriller detective, there is a missing girl, there is a remote island with its strange population, and there is an ambitious detective who wants to get to the truth. But something in this story is missed, and the importance of this missed is felt.
Not being familiar with the original tape, Neil LaBoute's version of holds near the screen for some time. A certain number of riddles as for such a genre is a familiar thing, and almost any director who decides to try himself in a detective is able to cope with such a priority task, but in this case, there is no buffer zone between the mystery and its even if not always logical solution.
Here came our detective, to taste his ex-girlfriend on the island, where there are some strange fanatics, from time to time is broken by swearing and assault, but the audience such a desire arises much earlier. But the trouble is not with the comparison of logic, but with the predictability with which the script of the film moves, the version of the finale of this investigation in the minds of the viewer arose, I suppose, the same.
It is not clear what Neil LaBute coped with and what did not, in comparison with the picture forty years ago, but as a separate film does not pass into any gate. Although no, this film can be attributed to a one-time viewing, or in the category "Film with the participation of Nicolas Cage", which can always be easily watched, but leave nothing valuable after such a viewing.
4 out of 10
A general impression. Oh, that's it. There's nothing to write, it sucks, gentlemen. This review will not be one of my eloquent negative reviews. This is just a small cry of the soul about a bad picture with a weak plot and terrible acting.
I haven't seen a movie like this in a long time. Only the ending (I would even say the ending) to some extent “saved” the picture from a complete fiasco in my eyes. It's a nightmare. Throughout the film, my thoughts were occupied with one mantra: “Gods, when will this madness end?”
Minuses. On the screen there are only women, everyone does not agree on something, everyone hides something, half-crazy castrate men, bees, shadows of the past, rituals, sacrifices. Awesome, in a word.
Well, there is nothing for a normal person to glean from this picture, just nothing. Poor shooting quality, bad acting, weak plot, locality of the narrative and boundless madness. That's what this movie is all about.
Pluses. The only compliment that can be weighed on this tape is a good atmosphere, supported from all sides by the “theater of the absurd” pressing on the psyche.
Key thoughts: you can not be responsive, you can not get acquainted with girls of the rural kind, you can not trust your "ex".
P.S. Good viewing, lovers kill half an hour of life on a bad movie!
2 out of 10
Another slurred film in Nicolas Cage's career is "The Wavered Man." Strangely, Cage has starred in so many B films as of 2012, but the world still considers him a good actor. Although, by the way, there are no complaints to him in the “HR” – the guy desperately portrayed a policeman, honestly trying to figure out what was happening. The penalty is on the screenwriters - for absolutely talentlessly submitted action, and the director who failed to dispel this boring drag.
If we talk about actors (or rather, actresses – only Cage from actors), then only Kate Beehan was remembered. A very interesting girl, with a memorable appearance, it is a pity that she has no other more or less weighty projects in her film career, in order to evaluate her play from all sides. Cage, as I said, tried his best and looked quite decent. The rest are extras. Nothing memorable or remarkable will be shown.
But the biggest drawback of the film is action. The genre is already preparing the viewer for a terrible secret, some terrible revelations of the islanders, maybe mysticism, and maybe even very terrible and unexpected episodes, but none of this. And you wait, and you wait, and you wait. And then there's the finale, and it's all in smoke, and you realize that this is the most worthwhile moment of the film, and the ending was hopeless, but still not so terrible and mystical. Simple, simple, uninteresting.
The result is an extremely boring film. If there is nothing to watch, it will go, so to speak, to see another work of Cage, but if you have a choice – think twice, or even three times.
Recently, when watching movies, I often have excruciating irritation due to the inexpressiveness of the paintings. Have you ever heard a pleasant song, but it sounds too quiet, why you have to strain your hearing, and it is very infuriating? I want to shout, “Make it louder!” Or do you see a beautiful photo, but too faded and blurred, why do you want to open it in Photoshop and add color and contrast? Sharpness, brightness - in a word, expressiveness.
With regard to films, this very expressiveness is manifested in the tension, condensed atmosphere and emotionality of the characters. I am not talking about outright hysteria (although in certain genres it is very tasty and spectacular), I am talking about strong feelings that can easily be detected even behind the mask of coolness, if the actor is good, and as for suspense, there is nothing more exciting than the feeling of danger when goosebumps running around the character’s body are transmitted by small ripples to the viewer. But this is not, because the music is barely audible, and the picture is faded and blurred.
Why all this talk? To the fact that the last two films, just yesterday I watched, caused a similar reaction – a new version of “Children of the Corn” and “The Wicker Man”; stories are inherently interesting and exciting, but set without proper expressiveness. I didn’t just call these films that — they are connected by the same theme of sextancy and, if you will, the quiet madness of people whose psyche is conquered by religion, like a crumpled wing of a car. And what could be more fertile ground for an explosion of emotions than the clash of a normal, sane person with a crowd of fanatics, for whom the norm is what is denied by a healthy society? Yes, the volume should be at the maximum, and the colors are so bright that it is time to frown!
Forgive my parallels, but I’ll start with “Children of the Corn,” which I frankly liked the first half, and completely disappointed the second. The beauty of the first part was precisely in its tension (good, strong tension), built on the mutual chemistry of the two main characters - husband and wife, who fought fiercely in the car, crossing the corn deafness, and then - rallying their dangers. The second part of the film, through the fault of other actors and an absurd, incomprehensible ending, irrevocably and finally kills all the advantages of the film.
In "The Wicker Man," we see the same deadly skew - all the efforts of Nicholas Cage, who plays well, and quite fittingly expresses the natural feelings of his hero (misunderstanding, outrage, powerlessness) go to the furnace due to the weak script, faded direction and lethargy of actors who simply do not know how to play, given the obvious helplessness of the dialogue and behavior of their characters. The only exception is Cage’s on-screen lover, who played the role so lifeless and wooden that she wanted to give it in her ear: “Wake up!” She floated through the film with one expression: “Who am I?” Where am I?, showed no concern about the missing child, and in the place of Cage, who was already losing patience due to her retardation, I would not yell at her, but beat her.
Due to the lack of the notorious suspense, the film is absolutely not perceived as either horror or mysticism, and more than what he can claim is an average, but quite good detective, because to find out how it all ends, the desire is there. Plus, cut off from the world of the colony, which has not changed the way of life since the 19th century, and in which the inhabitants behave strangely, clearly hiding something behind the mask of dibiloid misunderstanding, causes a desire to understand – hu of hu and wai. At the same time, Cage is frankly sorry, who breaks into closed doors, breaks his forehead, but for a long time does not achieve any results. However, he himself according to the script is rather unintelligent and persistent. For example, after asking a local villager a question: “Do you know the girl in the photo?”, he looks at her smiling for two minutes, and then nods and leaves. What, I wonder, did he read her stupid smile? I'm nothing. But it's me or Cage. On the other hand, he waved his gun somewhere, shouted somewhere, got somewhere. It is a pity that, with no help or support, he had few chances. And it's in the female kingdom! Smile.
Bottom line: quite a watchable detective, which could have been more spectacular, but was not. At the same time, if he tunes in to a leisurely, contemplative manner, he looks quite easy, and Cage awakens understandable sympathies at least because he is Cage. By the way, my husband, looking at Nicholas in the role of a regular patrolman, and later watching his helpless flashing on the island, said: "Nick is not cool, even unusual." But the hero inspires sympathy.