Red Riding Hood: Movie Review

In our honest opinion, there are two major things going against "Red Riding Hood". First is that it seems as though that it is trying hard to catch on with the success of the "Twilight" series. They actually got the same director who did "Twilight" and what a surprise, the antagonist is a werewolf as well. The trailer even looks a wee bit to similar to "Twilight". Second, and the most pressing matter, is that it is an adaptation of a very popular (and old) Brothers Grimm tale. It seems as though that recently, Hollywood is having a hard time creating new ideas. Would you even believe that they are already basing movies on boardgames like Clue, Monopoly and Battleship? First impressions would tell you that "Red Riding Hood" is going to be an uninspired movie. Well, you can easily find out our verdict after the break.

The medieval town of Daggerhorn has been in the clutches of a powerful werewolf for the past two decades. The central figure Valerie (Amanda Seyfried) is arranged to be married to Henry (Max Irons), the son of a wealthy blacksmith. Unfortunately, she is in love with Peter (Shiloh Fernandez), who has been her friend since she was a kid. When the werewolf strikes and kills the older sister of Valerie, the townspeople of Daggerhorn decide that they will hunt down and kill the werewolf by hook or by crook. To help them in their ambitious yet dangerous endeavor, they have called upon Father Solomon (Gary Oldman), a famed werewolf hunter. The infamous Father Solomon reveals that the werewolf actually takes human form in the day and could be anyone of in Daggerhorn.

"Red Riding Hood" surprises with its cinematography, the pacing of the film and most importantly a story that is very different from its source material. First and foremost, "Red Riding Hood" is a suspenseful film - scary at times even. Cinematography was not perfect though as some sequences seem out-of-place, even forced. Maybe the director wanted to make the audience scream out loud but it fails miserably based on the puzzled look on our faces. Other qualms are the shoddy acting of Shiloh Fernandez and Max Irons more so on the latter. Another problem with "Red Riding Hood" is the love triangle between Valerie, Henry and Peter. It never really develops into anything other than filler material and we can even see the movie being decent without it. Ironically (as we mentioned that it might be too similar to "Twilight"), we now wish that they could have put more meat into it. In the end, here's what we can say about "Red Riding Hood" - it will leave you guessing who the werewolf is and the reveal will leave you gasping in shock and awe. The all-original story is what makes "Red Riding Hood" a great film and this is the reason why you will have your eyes glued at the big screen and the ultimate reason why you should watch it.

Rating: 3 and a half reels





Why you should watch it:
- an original story that carries the film over its setbacks
- great pacing equates to a very suspenseful experience

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- shoddy acting by the lead characters
- a love triangle that never develops into anything but filler material
- some scary sequences fail to be scary due to its forced nature