Every once in a while, a movie comes along that reminds you Hollywood hasn’t completely run out of ideas. Wicker is one of those movies. In an age of endless sequels, reboots, and safe formulas, here’s a film that isn’t afraid to be completely bonkers. Even if it crashes and burns, I’d rather watch a movie that swings for the fences than another sequel playing it safe. I laughed, did a double take, and immediately wanted to know more.
The trailer doesn’t ease you into the madness. It opens with Olivia Colman’s character passionately making love to her wicker husband. Yes, you read that correctly. Within seconds, the internet exploded with memes, jokes, and one unavoidable question: how exactly does a romance with a woven wooden man work? Disney gave us Pinocchio. Nobody warned us what would happen after he grew up. When someone proudly declares he’s “strong as a tree and just as hard,” I nearly spit out my coffee. Come again? Exactly. I had to rewind just to make sure I heard it right.
What really amazes me is that someone actually pitched this idea in a boardroom and people signed off on it. Hollywood needs more meetings like that.
The marketing knows exactly what kind of movie it’s selling. The official tagline, “A hard man is good to find,” tells you everything you need to know. The trailer is packed with wood-themed double entendres, deadpan one-liners, and wonderfully awkward village gossip. One woman watches Alexander Skarsgård stroll by and casually remarks, “I’d climb that,” while Colman’s character matter-of-factly explains she’s had to repair her broken bed because, after all, “He’s wicker. Straightened me right out.” It’s juvenile, ridiculous, and completely committed to the joke.
The internet has also latched onto Skarsgård’s now-famous wicker nipples, proving once again that social media can find comedy in just about anything. If Seinfeld gave us the manssiere, Wicker may have people thinking he needs a woodsiere. Fans are even joking that a movie about a literal wicker man can’t possibly be called The Wicker Man. The comparisons were inevitable, but Wicker is doing something entirely different.
For all the laughs, there’s a surprisingly thoughtful story underneath the bark. The film is adapted from Ursula Wills’ short story The Wicker Husband, a dark fairy tale about a lonely fisherwoman who has spent her life being mocked by her small, judgmental village. Tired of living as an outsider, she asks the local basketmaker to weave her the perfect lifelong husband. It’s an absurd premise, but the more you hear about it, the more it starts to make perfect sense.
What makes the story interesting isn’t the wicker husband. It’s what he represents. By finding happiness with someone the village refuses to understand, Colman’s character quietly challenges the rules that have kept her in her place for years. What begins as an outrageous joke slowly becomes a story about acceptance, independence, and refusing to let other people decide what your life should look like.
Visually, the filmmakers borrow the earthy atmosphere of classic British folk horror, especially the unmistakable look of the 1973 classic The Wicker Man. The twist is that instead of turning a wicker figure into something terrifying, they transform it into a symbol of love, loyalty, and kindness. It’s a clever reversal that feels both familiar and completely original.
Alexander Skarsgård deserves plenty of credit here. His remarkable transformation wasn’t created with CGI but through elaborate practical prosthetics and full-body suits built by Wētā Workshop. Considering the studio helped bring Middle-earth to life, turning Skarsgård into a believable romantic lead made entirely of wicker almost feels like another day at the office. Even with much of his face hidden beneath layers of woven wood, he somehow manages to give the character warmth, innocence, and genuine charm. That’s no small feat. Softwood? Maybe.
By this point I’d gone from wondering how a wicker romance works to asking the important questions. How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? Apparently enough to build Alexander Skarsgård.
The best part is that the trailer never apologizes for how strange it is. It commits to the idea from the opening scene and dares you to come along for the ride. By the end, I wasn’t questioning whether it would work. I was wondering how soon I could buy a ticket.
Hollywood doesn’t make many movies like this anymore. Original ideas often lose out to familiar franchises because they’re considered safer investments. That’s why Wicker feels so refreshing. It isn’t trying to become the next superhero blockbuster or launch a cinematic universe. It’s simply telling a wildly original story with an incredible cast, practical effects, and enough confidence to embrace its own weirdness.
Whether Wicker becomes a surprise hit or a future cult classic remains to be seen. Either way, it has already accomplished something many movies never do. It got people talking, laughing, scratching their heads, and genuinely curious about what happens next.
Hollywood doesn’t need more sequels. It needs more movies that make people ask, “Who in the world came up with this?” If Wicker is any indication, original filmmaking still has plenty of life left in it. I’ll be rooting for this one from the moment the lights go down.
If this article made you think, brought back a memory, or made you see something differently, I’d love to hear from you. Send me an email at sandboxworld@gmail.com. I read every message personally and, with your permission, may feature your thoughts in a future article because the best stories are the ones we share.
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