The Wicker Tree (2012) Review
"There is power in the blood!"
-Sir Lachlan Morrison
Christian country singer, Beth Boothby (Brittania Nicol), and her boyfriend, Steve Thompson (Henry Garrett), travel to Scotland to spread of word of Jesus in a town of pagans. They are greeted warmly, but are uncomfortable with some of the pagan rituals. Little do they know, Beth and Steve have walked into a trap and have an important role to play in a ritual they want no part of.
What Works:
I've seen Graham McTavish in plenty of movies and he usually plays an angry meat-head of some kind, so it's nice to see him in a different type of role. Here, he plays the wealthy and well-spoken leader of the pagan group, which was originally written for Christoper Lee. I would have loved to see Lee in the role, but McTavish does a good job.
Finally, there is one very enjoyable moment near the end of the film, where Sir Lochlan is giving his evil cult monologue. Beth simply interrupts him by setting the cult leader of fire. It's a hilarious moment and easily the best part of the movie.
What Sucks:
The biggest problem with The Wicker Tree is how boring it is. It feels like a film you might find in a Christian gift shop or something. Watching the two leads preach their faith and deal with their relationship issues does not make for an interesting movie. It really does feel like a PureFlix with a slightly more violent edge. In the end, the pagans do brutally murder the Christians and justify why they needed Jesus in their lives. In fact, it's more surprising that this isn't a PureFlix movie. It blows my mind that the same man who directed The Wicker Man directed this.
This film is a spiritual sequel to The Wicker Man, a movie I love. They have very similar themes and stories. Both are about outsiders who come to a pagan land and things go poorly for them. In The Wicker Man, a police officer came to look for a missing girl. This is an interesting story and gives the character a purpose to push the narrative forward. In The Wicker Tree, once Beth and Steve arrive, they don't do anything interesting until the end of the film. We're just waiting around, doing nothing, until the end of the film. It's frustrating and incredibly dull.
Finally, the movie comes off as cheap all around. You can definitely tell it didn't have much for a budget. I guess I was just expecting more from the sequel to The Wicker Man. Worst of all is watching Beth's old music video from before she was a Christian singer. It's the cheapest, laziness music video I've ever seen and a wasted opportunity. We even get a scene where Steve is torn to pieces by the pagans and they still managed to make it a boring scene.
Verdict:
The Wicker Tree is an incredibly boring movie with uninteresting characters and a story that constantly spins its wheels. McTavish does a good job and there is one really funny moment, but this movie is not worth your time and makes the Nicolas Cage Wicker Man look like a masterpiece.
2/10: Awful
What Works:
I've seen Graham McTavish in plenty of movies and he usually plays an angry meat-head of some kind, so it's nice to see him in a different type of role. Here, he plays the wealthy and well-spoken leader of the pagan group, which was originally written for Christoper Lee. I would have loved to see Lee in the role, but McTavish does a good job.
Finally, there is one very enjoyable moment near the end of the film, where Sir Lochlan is giving his evil cult monologue. Beth simply interrupts him by setting the cult leader of fire. It's a hilarious moment and easily the best part of the movie.
What Sucks:
The biggest problem with The Wicker Tree is how boring it is. It feels like a film you might find in a Christian gift shop or something. Watching the two leads preach their faith and deal with their relationship issues does not make for an interesting movie. It really does feel like a PureFlix with a slightly more violent edge. In the end, the pagans do brutally murder the Christians and justify why they needed Jesus in their lives. In fact, it's more surprising that this isn't a PureFlix movie. It blows my mind that the same man who directed The Wicker Man directed this.
This film is a spiritual sequel to The Wicker Man, a movie I love. They have very similar themes and stories. Both are about outsiders who come to a pagan land and things go poorly for them. In The Wicker Man, a police officer came to look for a missing girl. This is an interesting story and gives the character a purpose to push the narrative forward. In The Wicker Tree, once Beth and Steve arrive, they don't do anything interesting until the end of the film. We're just waiting around, doing nothing, until the end of the film. It's frustrating and incredibly dull.
Finally, the movie comes off as cheap all around. You can definitely tell it didn't have much for a budget. I guess I was just expecting more from the sequel to The Wicker Man. Worst of all is watching Beth's old music video from before she was a Christian singer. It's the cheapest, laziness music video I've ever seen and a wasted opportunity. We even get a scene where Steve is torn to pieces by the pagans and they still managed to make it a boring scene.
Verdict:
The Wicker Tree is an incredibly boring movie with uninteresting characters and a story that constantly spins its wheels. McTavish does a good job and there is one really funny moment, but this movie is not worth your time and makes the Nicolas Cage Wicker Man look like a masterpiece.
2/10: Awful
Comments
Post a Comment