The Wicker Man (2006)★★★☆☆

Hello and happy May Day! I wanted to keep on theme, so my movie ordering is a bit off this week. I don’t know that I’d ever seen this movie before, OR its original…so we’ll see how watching this version first fares for tomorrow’s?

This movie is far from the worst Nicolas Cage has ever done. He delivers a very Nicolas Cage performance, over-the-top at points (particularly the “How’d it get burned, how’d it get burned, HOW’D IT GET BURNED??” scene), and distinctly muted at others.

There were a lot of other rather surprising familiar faces in this as well. Ellen Burstyn and Frances Conroy for instance, as well as Leelee Sobieski. Everyone was mostly okay.

On its face, and before seeing the original, this one seems like your standard mediocre horror movie remake? Nothing stood out as egregiously offensive to me…except maybe the last bees scene. Were there absurd, over-the-top moments to this movie? Sure, I already acknowledged that (as did Nicolas Cage himself).

But is the original going to be so transcendent and amazing that I’ll understand all the hate this one got?

I guess I’ll find out tomorrow.