Movie Review--Red Riding Hood

Movie Review—Red Riding Hood

Directed by: Catherine Hardwicke

Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Gary Oldman, & Billy Burke

Rating:

Left Before it Finished (1 popcorn box out of 5, bordering on 0)

This month’s review belongs to the recently released Red Riding Hood.

A fantasy-thriller based on a children’s fairy tale.

In a small forest town, a wolf rules the livelihood of those living there. The town pays monthly homage to the wolf and to keep the villagers safe they provide animal sacrifices. Amanda Seyfried plays Valerie, a young girl in love with her childhood hero, however her family has made other arrangements. Her grandmother provides her with a red riding cape for her wedding, hence the title. The movie begins with her sister murdered by the wolf, and this sets a new terror for the town that believed they were safe. As more of locals are fodder for the wolf, the town calls in a renowned werewolf hunter, Father Solomon, played by Gary Oldman, who soon determines that the werewolf may very well be one of the very citizens who called for him. Valerie’s family is torn apart by the loss, secrets are uncovered, and she soon finds that she has ties to the wolf. Those ties may very well lead to more deaths.

This movie was a Snooze... The action was very limited and the costumes poor quality, especially if anyone has seen Eclipse or True Blood, now those animals can shape-shift. The movie was also very dark. I heard once, that the X-Files used the dark lighting because they had a very small budget and this movie seems to be using a similar technique or it was to hide the poor costumes and sets. The movie revolves around one very small town and a small forest, in which the families are almost too familiar and intertwined. The acting was also subpar. Gary Oldman’s Father Solomon was theatrical at best and over the top at worst, and the character travels with his children on Werewolf hunts, hardly a hero. Amanda Seyfried was insipid and uninspiring, her character seemed more in a daze the majority of the film with very little focus, and she was certainly no heroine. The wolf was the most interesting character of them all, when he showed up; he was quick and had a strong bite. The other actors are forgettable and not worthy of mention. After seeing it once, I will not be looking for a sequel.