The Wicker Tree Blu-ray review

            The Wicker Man is on the BFI’s list of the top 100 British films. A film like that should not be touched or messed with, which is why I found the Nicholas Cage remake to be unnecessary. The Wicker Tree makes that remake look like a masterpiece. Original writer/director Robin Hardy returns to the subject, though this has only tarnished the image of the original. Even a guest appearance by The Wicker Man star Christopher Lee is unable to save this mess of a film.

            Part of the problem with this return to the same subject matter is that it can never live up to the shocking nature of the original. We already know from the very beginning that all of the villagers we meet are actually insane members of a pagan cult. This time it is a naïve young couple from Texas who are pulled into a ridiculous new ceremony in a rural Scottish community.

            The couple (played by Brittania Nicol and Henry Garrett) are on an odd missionary trip, attempting to spread the word of the Lord to the Scottish people. Apparently they have not heard of Christianity yet. She is a former sex-object teen pop star, turned born-again Christian artist. This seems like an odd choice for a person to kidnap and kill, but we are asked to accept this major plot hole from the very beginning.

            The Blu-ray offers very little excitement to an already unimpressive film. There is a making-of featurette as well as some deleted scenes and a trailer. The high definition is not altogether forgiving on the shoddy filmmaking, from the special effects to the simple production values. The only reason for the high definition seems to be in order to see the copious amounts of flesh as clearly as possible.