Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

The Wicker Tree Blu-ray Movie Review

Different.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 7, 2012

You will give your life.

Director Robin Hardy returns to the wicker in his latest film, The Wicker Tree, a picture not dissimilar to his revered cult classic 1973 film The Wicker Man, but not exactly a sequel or a remake. If anything, it's perhaps a reworking of the original, and yes, Hardy's latest is vastly superior to that godawful Nicolas Cage remake of The Wicker Man that had audiences themselves lining up to be sacrificed rather than live with the shame of having sat through that disaster of a motion picture. So fans of Hardy's original can rest easy knowing that the concept and the "franchise," if one may call it that, is back in capable hands and that the latest picture, while no match for the original, is at least a well-paced and oddly entertaining quirk-fest that, if nothing else, is certainly pretty far removed from the standard Hollywood formula, the picture playing far away from dull cliché and unimaginative scriptwriting. Love the new movie, hate it, compare it with the original, whatever, no viewer can deny the film's oddities as a breath of fairly fresh air blowing over a tired cinematic landscape, that the movie is merely different means it's deserving of major props from even the most jaded and fatigued of audiences.

On a mission.

Beth Boothby (Brittania Nicol) is a born-again Texas Bluegrass Gospel singer who's changed her ways, re-imagined her image, abandoned her old suggestive style of popular music, and given herself fully to the Lord and His work. She's engaged to be married to her longtime cowboy boyfriend Steve (Henry Garrett), both of whom have taken a vow of chastity and wear purity rings symbolizing their willingness to wait for marriage to begin their sexual lives together. They're called to minister together in a small Scottish town that's turned away from the Lord and rejected the existence of Angels. They're met with indifference and harshness upon arrival, but are convinced to travel instead to a nearby small village when approached by Lachlan Morrison (Graham McTavish) and his wife Delia (Jacqueline Leonard) who promise them at the very least an attentive and hospitable audience. Little do Beth and Steve know that they're to be part of a much larger, secretive, and deadly ritual masquerading as the seemingly innocent "May Day" celebration, their bodies to be used for nefarious purposes in an ancient ritual the likes of which they could not imagine in either their wildest dreams or their innate naiveté.

The Wicker Tree might be best thought of as a cinematic oddball. It's nearly impossible to classify; it's quirky and funny, slightly scary but never horrific, sometimes thrilling but without much action, sexy and alluring but at the same time a turn-off for people of faith. That the picture is nearly undefinable is probably its greatest asset. It's most pleasing to welcome a movie into the theater that's not easily and immediately pegged as this or that; the movie is best experienced and not expected. One's reaction is shaped by the story and the characters and the way the movie has been made, not by preconceived notions of what it should be based on some generic label. As it plays, the movie enters into stretches where it's weird, funny, intriguing, boring, spiritual, uplifting, sacrilege, scary, and dramatic. Name it, and it's probably in some way incorporated into the film, either overtly or subtly worked into the storyline or style at some point. Being impossible to classify, it's equally impossible to lay any real expectations on the film. This is the ultimate "open mind" sort of movie, and it really stands out as such and plays in stark contrast to the cookie cutter cinema of today that deals largely in absolutes and set styles and firm boundaries. The Wicker Tree is worth a watch just for the fairly novel experience of seeing something different.

That said, however, the film definitely proves divisive. It's easy to see how audiences may react, particularly as the picture plays rather loose with spiritual beliefs, painting its two center Christian characters more as blind devotees rather than critical thinkers. They give into temptation far too easily, but in the name of advancing the plot and getting the story where it needs to go, the picture by necessity paints its characters as weak rather than even moderately strong. Still, the relative ease by which one is seduced and the other blindly falls into the trap might upset audiences who would rather see stronger characters, not two so effortlessly betrayed and led astray physically, emotionally, and spiritually all, particularly considering that the opposing "religion" deals in deceit and murder, followed blindly or not. From a technical perspective, however, the movie is well made, certainly a product of its budget but rather seamless and true in presentation. Robin Hardy's direction is smooth and maintains a fantastically rapid pace. The acting leaves a little to be desired from top to bottom, but again it's the novelty of the way the movie plays and feels rather than the more general meaty and easily-critiqued elements that make The Wicker Tree worth the price of admission.

The Wicker Tree Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Wicker Tree's 1080p high definition presentation usually impresses, but it runs into a few rough patches along the way. Most of the lesser shots appear the fault not of the transfer but of lower-grade photographic equipment. A shot of the Dallas skyline early on lacks clarity and definition, and buildings appear as if protected by a force field. There are several noticeably soft shots along the way, noise is visible here and there, and banding is a fairly regular visitor to the screen, but in general the transfer impresses. The digital photography never appears overly flat or excessively glossy. Fine detail is usually sharp and precise, right down to pebbly Scottish gravel. Smooth marble and rough stone work both appear equally well-defined. Clothing -- including Steve's blue denim jacket -- and facial textures are strong. Colors are balanced and often brilliant. The red, white, and blue of an American flag; green grasses; and colorful clothes all appear even in color delivery. This transfer won't dazzle Blu-ray veterans, but it's an even, true, sometimes even impressive image that serves the movie well and does the format proud, generally.

The Wicker Tree Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Wicker Tree features an above average Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. It won't redefine sonic greatness or sell sound systems, but this presentation is steady and mostly accurate from start to finish. Score playing at the beginning of the movie enjoys suitable clarity and good range, ditto the following Bluegrass Gospel music that spreads nicely and features the instruments and the singing voice coming through crisply and in natural harmony. Later music heard during a chase scene -- complete with the heavy footfalls of galloping horses -- does fall a little flat and lacks the energy the scene needs, but such is the only major drawback to an otherwise balanced and quality sonic affair. Natural ambience is handled easily and placed naturally, including sining birds at one point naturally making their presence known throughout the listening area. Dialogue is generally even and balanced up the middle, only once or twice sounding a hair shallow. This track won't win any audio awards, but listeners should be satisfied with this baseline effective lossless soundtrack from Anchor Bay.

The Wicker Tree Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Wicker Tree contains three brief extras.

• The Making of The Wicker Tree (480p, 12:15): Raw footage from the red carpet is followed by cast and crew discussing the story, themes, style, music, dance, Christopher Lee's return, making critical scenes, and the film's scenery.
• Deleted Scenes (480p, 11:41).
• The Wicker Tree Trailer (1080p, 1:54).

The Wicker Tree Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Wicker Tree isn't for all audiences; Christians may very well be either bothered or flat-out offended, but Director Robin Hardy's follow-up/re-imagining/whatever it is that The Wicker Tree may be remains well worth a watch seeing as how differently it plays in comparison to today's generic multiplex cinema. The picture is nearly unclassifiable, and it throws pretty much anything and everything into the mix, all with an even hand and fairly good results. The acting leaves a bit to be desired, but overall this is a pretty decent movie that shouldn't go unnoticed. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of The Wicker Tree features above-average video and audio, but the supplements are disappointingly few. Viewers might be best served giving this one a rental before deciding on a purchase, but those who know they'll want to revisit it in the future need not worry about the quality of the release.