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This is not your grandmother's Red Riding Hood. There's a basket of goodies (not exactly the edible kind), a sweet grandma, a winsome young lass in a beautiful red hood, and a Big Bad Wolf. But there the similarity ends. This Red Riding Hood is shot through the lens of the Twilight films--for wide appeal to the tween and teen audiences, and definitely not a bedtime story for the little ones. Helmed by Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke, Red Riding Hood bears a lot of the moody trademarks of the vampire series. Valerie (Amanda Seyfried), the plucky girl in the stunning cape, lives in a tiny medieval village whose geography is not specified--it's just very mountainous and remote. Valerie's heart belongs to her childhood friend Peter (Shiloh Fernandez), but as Red Riding Hood opens, she learns she has been betrothed to Henry (Max Irons). As if that love triangle weren't enough, it seems a dangerous wolf--or is it werewolf?--has been terrorizing the town for years, and its killing sprees have intensified. When the townsfolk kill a wolf, they think they have finally freed their town from tyranny, and throw a giant bacchanal--like Burning Man in the snow. But then Father Solomon (Gary Oldman, in wickedly good form) appears on the scene to tell the villagers they've killed only a gray wolf--not, in fact, the werewolf he knows is the true villain.
So the romantic pulls of Valerie, Peter, and Henry play out with a backdrop of true chills and mystery. The atmosphere created by Hardwicke, along with production designer Thomas E. Sanders and cinematographer Mandy Walker, is perfect for a goose-bumpy horror story with teen hearts caught in the balance. The set design of the village, especially, is rich with detail--even the trees in the surrounding forest seem to have branches made of threatening spikes. Seyfried is willful, passionate, and perfect as Valerie, and easily anchors a film that could have spun out. Other standouts include Virginia Madsen, Valerie's mother who has a dark secret in her own past, and Julie Christie as Valerie's rather peculiar grandmother. All Twilight fans, and those who love a good tale of star-crossed (or perhaps full-moon-crossed) lovers will enjoy Red Riding Hood. Just don't go walking in those big bad woods alone. --A.T. Hurley
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars
A Sleeping Pill With a Cover,
By Greg "neurosky" (Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Red Riding Hood (Le Chaperon Rouge) (DVD)
I viewed this film with an open mind. I wasn't influenced by reviews or critiques as I hadn't even heard the film existed before my girlfriend found it. A common criticism I am seeing is that it rips off the "Twilight" films, but I never saw those films so I couldn't even compare them.In the early seconds I was curious but quickly I lost interest. This is a style of filmmaking which focuses exclusively on visuals: photography, lighting, costumes, makeup, hair style and sets. Sacrificed therefore is natural acting, as the director controls them like puppets and everything feels planned and sterile. The `actors' are used as models to move from Point A to Point B and deliver their lines. Therefore we cannot form a relationship with them. The viewing experience feels like a chore as we are dragged through twists and turns we can't enjoy because we are not emotionally invested. Obviously the filmmakers wanted to try something different (artistic) but when you sacrifice substance for flash a film always falls short. Even the great Gary Oldman struggles to give a decent performance here. You see, it's not the fault of the actors, it's the directing style. And a CGI wolf doesn't help. Seems to me someone saw the Lord of the Rings trilogy (and by the sounds of things Twilight) and decided to slap together this pile of...but maybe that's being too harsh. What I can say is, it nearly put both my girlfriend and I to sleep! I can't psychically read their intentions, all I can do is gaze widely at this awful film and wonder...why?
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A darker version indeed with a twist.,
By
This review is from: Red Riding Hood (Le Chaperon Rouge) (DVD)
I rented this out of pure curiosity for a darker version of the tale known by all children.From the moment the movie started I was mesmorized by its gothic dark theme and knew it by then that I would enjoy it. The music is amazing and well fitted for each scene. I thought I knew who the wolf was, be careful it isn't always as it seems... It has been a long time since a movie surprised me, a definate addition to my library for taking a chance into turning the fairytale into something darker. Move over twilight wolf version, cuz the wolf in this movie, totally rocks and doens't look like a puppy! Try it, you might be surprised...
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars
The better to bore you with, my dear,
By E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME) (TOP 10 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Red Riding Hood (Le Chaperon Rouge) (DVD)
Teenage girl + sexy brooding might-be-a-monster + forbidden romance = dear Lord, it's a Twilight knockoff.And let's not delude ourselves that "Red Riding Hood" is anything but that. Catherine Hardwicke (director of the first Twilight film) runs over very familiar territory in this disastrously dull, tepidly acted borefest, which seems to just be an excuse to show us yet more gel-haired, pouting teenagers longing after each other. It's even duller than it sounds. Valerie (Amanda Seyfried) lives in a small village in... somewhere where they sacrifice livestock to a giant ravenous wolf. It's not explained very well. She is planning to escape an arranged marriage to the staggeringly dull Henry (Max Irons) by eloping with her staggeringly dull Edward-Cullen-haired lover Peter (Shiloh Fernandez). You know, standard love triangle stuff. But then the wolf comes to the town and starts killing people, including Valerie's sister. According to wolf-hunter (Gary Oldman), it's not a wolf but a werewolf. Even worse, the werewolf has some kind of connection to Valerie -- meaning that it's probably someone she loves. So who is the werewolf, and does anyone in the audience actually care? Don't worry, Team Jacob -- "Red Riding Hood" is all about the hot maybe-werewolf guy taking center stage. Catherine Hardwicke tosses aside the possibilities of a "dark" psychosexual retelling of a fairy tale, mainly so she can try to reel in all the screeching hormone-addled tweenagers who rushed to see her last gothic romance. The problem is, "Twilight" was boring. And "Red Riding Hood" is even duller. The only competent part of the story is the plot twist involving the werewolf. The rest of the time we're treated to pallid romantic melodrama is almost as bloodless as the CGI wolf attacks. The dialogue is ghastly ("It is time to put on your HARLOT'S ROBES!"), and the there are some staggeringly weird scenes that add absolutely nothing to the story, such as a giant metal ELEPHANT, or the medieval rave. Then again, the picturesque village looks like the love child of a RenFaire and a Medieval Times restaurant, so maybe the rave isn't too surprising. I'll admit it: Seyfried's clear face and big wide eyes are perfect (in theory), but Hardwicke seems less interested in having her act than in having her pose dramatically as if she's in a magazine shoot. Her two paramours are so dull that they're virtually interchangeable, except for Fernandez's gelled-up hair. And Gary Oldman is so hammy you could put him between two slices of rye -- his "evil inquisitor" role is so over-the-top that I kept expecting him to poke Seyfried with the soft cushions and scream, "Confess! Confess! CONFESS!" "Red Riding Hood" is basically Hardwicke's attempt to snag "Twilight's" teenybopper fanbase, but she only succeeds in making a movie even more passionless and dull than that one.
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