Customer Reviews

Red Riding Hood: Alternate Cut / Le Chaperon Rouge : Comprend la version cinéma (Bilingual) [Blu-ray + DVD]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Set in a medieval village there is the same old story of a young girl betrothed to the son of a rich man but secretly in love with another. There is a little layering of the story as there may have been another secret romance. Yet we have no time for those things as the wolf seems to be expanding his diet and a professional is called in for the dispatching of the misunderstood furry creature.

Seems that our hooded heroine can communicate with the wolf which does not bode well of her future.
Will she go quietly or be eaten herself. Could be we are in for a big surprise.

The movie was not brilliant but watchable. There was a wolf, a riding hood, and big teeth. There are a few scuffed and missing body parts as part of the story; however no excessive gore. It is good to see that Julie Christie (age 70 at time of filming) is keeping a hand in acting as the big eyed grandmother.

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.

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...

i found the movie very boring, i wouldn't consider the movie to anyone; i expected more to the movie; i guess commercials aren't always the best to go by; i thought this movie was going to be a great drama, but i was wrong about this movie; twilight beat this movie, and it was quite slow too

Well i saw this movie and i loved it .don't really care what any
one say.but i have been reading some of the review's here on amazon
and they bore me to death some of them i had to stop reading i just wish they
would get to point of the movie it's almost like their looking for a history lesson
hands down you will never ever find it in a movie.Period.Red Riding Hood (Bilingual Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

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?

I love this movie for the imagery and the amazingly beautiful people - the story is highly improbable (nobody living in this time period would look so gorgeous), but its based on a fairy-tale - so I'll take the fantasy!

I have love fairy tales, and I still do as a 25-year-old woman. Now I had seen trailers for this modern, film adaptation of the "Little Red Riding Hood" story. I was shocked by the "12%" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, I now had seen the film and I thought it is an awesome werewolf film.

In the film, Red Riding Hood is named Valerie living in a medieval village, and she is torn between two men: Her parents had promise her hand to the wealthy blacksmith's son Henry - but she really loves the woodcutter Peter (what to do?). Peter and Valerie were just about to run away together, when a werewolf is terrorizing the village, and a witch-hunter known as Father Solomon was called on to track the Wolf down. Well, that's all I could tell you folks, you will have to see the film for yourself how it ends.

So anyway, that is all I could talk about and I really love this film.

Blu-Ray Main Feature:
Blu-Ray Alternate Cut and Theatrical version: 1080p High Definition 16x9 2.4:1. DTS-HD MA: English 5.1
Also on Blu-Ray Theatrical version only: Dolby Digital: French 5.1 (dubbed in Quebec), Espanol 5.1. Subtiles on both versions: English SDH, French & Espanol.

DVD Main Feature:
Widescreen. Dolby Surround: English 5.1, French 5.1 (Dubbed in Quebec). Subtitles: English SDH, French & Espanol

This information is accurate. Hope you'll enjoy ;-)

Quite possibly one of the worst films I've endured. Recognize who created this film and acts in it. If you are among the Twilight fans you are likely to enjoy this film. If you disliked the Twilight films, you will probably be looking for the ZERO star as well. I believe that covers it, because I don't think there is an in between here.