Longlegs
Summary
Nicolas Cage ’s performance in the 2024 horror hitLonglegsis a really unsettling reminder of his act abilities , providing a welcome tonic to a previous disaster that was 18 twelvemonth in the devising . As the titular serial slayer , Cage is almost unrecognizable in eerie pale make - up , replacing his penchant for full - throttle claptrap with something much more sinister . So brawny is his carrying into action that it ’s insufferable to avoid comparingLonglegsto otherNicolas Cage repugnance movies – including those that have not been so well received .
feature a positively charged critical response and telling box office , Longlegshas cementedNicolas Cage ’s status as a modern horror master . While the movie is in some ways the jewel in the crown , his recent movie resume is littered with successful horror moving picture – from the psychedelic Lovecraftian repugnance ofColor Out of Space , to the febrile , frenzied vigour ofMandy . And yet , while these releases have broadly speaking been find well by both critics and the public , Cage has always pursued undertaking that split up opinion . Perhaps his most ill-famed get in in theater of operations in 2006 – creating an unfortunate legacy that he ’s only just recovering from .
Longlegs Is The Perfect Antidote To Nic Cage’s The Wicker Man Role
It’s Everything The 2006 Horror Is Not
While 2024’sLonglegsis a haunting exploration of evil , mix supernatural superstition with the all - too - existent malevolency of mankind , Neil LaBute ’s infamousThe Wicker Manis perhaps the opposite opponent . A remaking of the lionize folk revulsion classic – itself regarded as terrifying for its matter - of - fact insanity – The Wicker Manstars Cage as a detective station to an apart island to inquire unusual expiration - on . It ’s a set - up that has a time - honor tradition in the repulsion genre – from Martin Scorsese ’s thrillerShutter Islandto Ari Aster’sMidsommar . What follows , however , is astonishing in the worst way imaginable .
Far from being terrifying and immersive , The Wicker Manis instead an accidental drollery . Nicolas Cage rampages around the screenland , variously dressing as a bear , stealing bicycle , and punch island house physician in the typeface . While the plot is ludicrous , the celluloid has been seared into the public consciousness by a number of bizarre , meme - worthy mo – such as Cage ’s infamous " Not the bee ! " speech . WhileThe Wicker Manis undeniably entertaining , it is one of the least effectual horror movie ever made – demonstrated by its abysmal Rotten Tomatoes grade of 15 % .
Longlegs has a horrific ending that leaves Lee Harker in an interesting position . We break down the horror movie ’s ending and what fall out to Harker .
Cage’s The Wicker Man Remake Was Hugely Damaging To His Horror Credentials
It Became His Defining Contribution To The Genre
Many actors make unfit pic and still recuperate . However , Nicolas Cage ’s unique approach to performance , which requires nothing less than total dedication , has helped makeThe Wicker Manan unforgettable watershed in modern horror for many viewers . Once seen , Cage ’s unbalanced portrayal is unmanageable to leave , while the remainder of the movie is so inadvertently funny that it has become a measure for all the awry intellect . As a result , it has arguably been difficult for batting cage to reinstate himself as a horror blind presence that can be taken seriously .
While it would be unfair to say thatThe Wicker Manis the only reason Cage did n’t appear in many horror films in the tenner that followed … he has only enjoy actual success as a repugnance histrion long after the movie left theaters .
For test copy of how damagingThe Wicker Manwas to Cage ’s repugnance prospects , you only need to look at his all-inclusive career in the genre . For a 10 afterThe Wicker Man , Cage only made a handful of revulsion movie appearances , many of which ( such as his cameo inGrindhouseor his action at law - heavy role inDrive Angry ) were a blend of repulsion with other cinematic tradition . While it would be unjust to say thatThe Wicker Manis the only reason Cage did n’t appear in many revulsion film in the decade that followed , it ’s undeniable that he has only relish real success as a revulsion actor long after the moving picture left dramaturgy .
Nic Cage Has Made Good Horror Movies Since The Wicker Man
He’s Become A Prominent Presence In The Genre
The Wicker Man ’s enduring bequest as part of advanced meme culture made it , for many years , the quintessential Nicolas Cage repulsion movie . However , even before the thespian found deserved vital respect withLonglegs , Cage had quietly reestablished himself as a major player in the music genre . In 2017 , he transmit the same manic energy visualize inThe Wicker Maninto something simultaneously comic and shuddery inMom and Dad . A year later , he impressed critic as the chainsaw - wielding avenger Red Miller inMandy . Subsequent projects likeColor Out of SpaceandArcadiacontinued astrong Nicolas Cage revulsion streak .
Even other Nicolas Cage horror photographic film that have perhaps not been so heartily regarded have helped move the conversation about his career beyondThe Wicker Man . He was , for instance , one of the strongest parts ofRenfield – despite the picture show ’s struggles at the box office . These releases – all make out within the past decade – have underscored how Cage ’s loser withThe Wicker Manhas perhaps robbed audience of other opportunities to see the actor operate within revulsion . And yet , while these films represent an undeniable resurgence , it is only withLonglegsthat his genre comeback is staring .
I ’d definitely study Longlegs among Nicolas Cage ’s most unique and interesting public presentation . I was glued to the screen for every second of his front as he managed to beguile something improbably compelling and otherworldly . I ca n’t bring myself to say it ’s his absolute best , though , as I ’m partial to Leaving Las Vegas . Pig , Adaptation , and bring Out the Dead are also inviolable contenders . Overall , Longlegs is a tad too over - the - top for me to call his best oeuvre .
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Longlegs' Success Will Finally Make People Forget The Wicker Man
It’s Popular Enough To Make A Defining Impact
While many of Cage ’s horror releases have been critical hits , they have lacked the broad , cross - ethnical appeal necessary to in truth banishThe Wicker Man ’s ghost . MandyandColor Out of Space , for instance – both rated as " Certified Fresh " onRotten Tomatoes , with scores of 90 % and 86 % , respectively , go for the most part under the radiolocation for most movie audiences . Mandymade just $ 1.7 million against a $ 6 million budget , whileColor Out of Spacemade an even less impressive $ 1 million . compare to the pervasiveness with whichThe Wicker Manhas tempt the popular sensing of Cage , these movies have done little to make an opposing suit .
By contrast , Longlegshas the veracious compounding of critical acclaimand popular pursuit to truly relegateThe Wicker Manfrom our corporate subconscious mind once and for all . Longlegsmade a platter - breaking $ 22.6 millionover its opening weekend , make it the unmarried biggest opening for Neon film studios in history . This , couple with another certify unfermented score of 87 % , mean thatit has the potential to become Nicolas Cage ’s better - known horror movie , with his portrayal of the film ’s sinister serial killer perhaps becoming his defining musical genre performance .
Cage ’s brilliantly effective portrait and the linger sense of dread the flick evokes means thatLonglegshas every luck of being more memorable than the role player ’s other successful forays into the genre . The fact that John Cage is really terrifying also provides the requisite stern contrast toThe Wicker Man – ensuring that Cage is no longer below the belt seen as a joke . On its own footing , Longlegs ' winner is something for horror fan to relish . For Cage , however , it also represent salvation from one of the most misguided horror movies ever made .
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