The Wicker Man
Metascore
36 out of 100

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 19 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 19
  3. Negative: 7 out of 19
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  1. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Jack Mathews
    38
    As an allegory of religious conflict, the '73 film is brilliantly constructed and ends with a punctuation mark that was shocking in its day. LaBute's movie attempts to shock, as well, and does: Given the names involved and the casting of Cage, it is shockingly bad.
  2. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Maitland McDonagh
    38
    There may be a way to remake 1973's cult thriller The Wicker Man, in which a deeply Christian cop has his religious convictions shaken to the core as he investigates the disappearance of a child from within a cheerfully pagan community, but Neil LaBute didn't find it.
  3. ReelViews
    Reviewed by: James Berardinelli
    38
    LaBute has transformed the eerie, disturbing psychological thriller into an unintentional comedy. At times, The Wicker Man is hilariously bad.
  4. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Tasha Robinson
    33
    Turns a cultishly creepy classic into a dull and windy farce.
  5. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Dana Stevens
    30
    A movie like this can survive an absurd premise but not incompetent execution. And Mr. LaBute, never much of an artist with the camera, proves almost comically inept as a horror-movie technician...It's neither haunting nor amusing; just boring.
  6. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Jennie Punter
    25
    The Wicker Man is one of those "what were they thinking?" movies.
  7. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Marc Savlov
    20
    Do yourself a favor: Go rent Hardy's original film, watch it, and then try and get it out of your head. You never, ever will.

User Reviews

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User Score
3.4 out of 10

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 77 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 53
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 53
  3. Negative: 32 out of 53
  1. MDawg
    4
    Stunning. Courageous. A feast for the eyes and ears. These are but some of my reactions to Nicolas Cage's (in my opinion BAFTA winning performance) in The Wicker Man. He manages to suprise audiences time and time again with depth of characters that only he can bring forth to the acting table. Quality, not quantity has always been my motto and i think this film can be beautifully summed up by one shortt, crisp and well executed line that fits so perfectly with the running themes of despair and fear: "What's in the bag, a shark or something?" .... A must see.… Full Review »
  2. TimH.
    3
    Oh... my... god... I'm still trying to catch my breath after the Leelee Sobieski fight scene, the nonsensical dialogue, and the ridiculous bee symbolism. Fuckin' funniest piece of trash I've ever beheld; this here flick is a veritable how-to of bad movie-making (or remaking, in this case). The hilarity comes to an irresistibly laugh-out-loud head when Cage is dragged half-naked by feminists to his own personal burning man. Trust me, don't watch this one alone OR sober. Friends and booze are required to fully experience the grandeur.… Full Review »
  3. HannaA-L
    10
    This movie was so much better than the original. Move with the times everyone, lame folk music and slow slow SLOW plots are not interesting to the modern audience. The original was alright, but the 2006 one was SO much slicker, had better symbolism and imagery. Nic Cage was amazing, and so were the rest of the cast. This is one of my favourite films. The only reason people gave it such a bagging was because they are stuck in the past and can't accept modern ideas and that movie making has changed in the past thirty years. It is definitely a 10. Well done Nic Cage.… Full Review »
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