“Wicker Man” has been advertised as a horror film when it is really more of a suspense film, and a decent one at that.

“Wicker Man” is one of the few movies this summer that will make you think. Not about life or human nature or anything like that. But rather thoughts like, “What the hell did that have to do with the rest of the movie?”

In Neil Labute’s remake of the 1973 classic, Nicholas Cage stars as Edward Malus, a California cop haunted by a horrific car crash. After receiving a letter from his ex-fiance begging for his help in finding her lost daughter, Rowan, Edward travels to Summers Isle. The island is devoid of technology, hundreds of years removed from modern society and the population is predominantly female.

After speaking with ex-fiance Willow (Kate Beahan), Edward begins to dig into the mystery surrounding the missing child. Things only get stranger until the final twist and the reveal of the Wicker Man. Ellen Burstyn portrays the island’s overseer, Sister Summersisle and Erika-Shaye Gair portrays Rowan.

Many will go to this movie expecting a horror flick, which is not the case. Much like the recent “Lady in the Water,” “Wicker Man” has been advertised as a horror film when it is really more of a suspense film, and a decent one at that.

The constant state of confusion felt by Edward is mirrored in the audience, as Labute gives no real clues as to what’s going on and there is little in the way of foreshadowing.

The plot remains fairly straightforward, with a few twists spaced throughout to keep the audience in the film. The plot suffers from several loose ends and events that seem to have little bearing on the rest of the film.

The car crash at the film’s outset is the biggest loose end, as well as the flashback sequences that aren’t quite flashbacks. While they may serve some purpose, it is not readily evident to the viewer and simply serves to muddle the plot.

The music is nothing special, basically your average suspense-film score, but sticking with what works isn’t always bad.

Nicholas Cage delivers a solid performance, diving headfirst into the role of Edward Malus. Edward’s growing anger towards and suspicion of the island’s residents is believable, and the scenes where his anger begins to show are the only scenes where Cage shows some emotion.

Beahan also delivers a believable performance as a bewildered mother who may have been unbalanced by the disappearance of her daughter. The same can be said for Burstyn, who plays the matriarch of the island’s pagan society to perfection.

While not as frightening as the promotional materials make it out to be, “Wicker Man” is an entertaining thriller and a good way to pass a late-summer evening. Delivering a few clever moments and some nice scares, it fails to break any new ground and is weighted down by sequences that are seemingly unrelated to the rest of the film.

But with a strong cast and solid directing, this is one film, despite its flaws, that is well worth seeing.

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