Here is my take on Red Riding Hood, offered in January 2012 though the movie was released in March of 2011.
This new take on the old folktale is sort of a teen horror film that
takes place in the Middle Ages. The village of Daggerhorn is out of the
way and on the edge of a dark forest. The place has been plagued by a
wolf for as long as any remember. When the moon is full, they stake out
a pig as an offering to the wolf to maintain the peace. But this time
something different happens. They find a girl dead, slain by the wolf.
Furious and against the advice of the priest, the villagers set out to slay the wolf. They know that it lives in a cave on the mountain and that silver will kill it. Though they come back with a wolf's head, they lost one of their number in the process. Father Solomon (Gary Oldman) arrives with his band of werewolf hunters to explain that they had killed a wolf but their curse remains. Such is proven true that very night.
The movie primarily follows Valerie (Amanda Seyfried), a pretty girl with a rebellious streak. She is engaged to marry Henry the Blacksmith but wants to run away with Peter the Woodcutter, thus establishing the prerequisite love triangle. The movie quickly becomes a mystery as Valerie tries to determine who among the villagers is the werewolf. She has reason to suspect many, including her own family. Her worst fear is that it is Peter, which much of the evidence indicates he is. At one point, she has a nightmare in which she speaks to her grandmother (Julie Christie) and notes that she has big eyes, big ears, and big teeth! The better to eat you with!
The movie is a bit uneven. At times, it feels like a horror film. Other times, it is a mystery. There is also teen angst, a Twilight-like love triangle, a CGI wolf, and one-sided battles with the mighty wolf in the streets. There is also the oddity that it is winter and yet everyone is dressed like it's spring. Hard to make the guys look hunky and the gals look hot if everyone is bundled in thick cloaks and furs.
Not a great movie but not a bad one. Certainly room for improvement but fun and interesting in the watching.
Furious and against the advice of the priest, the villagers set out to slay the wolf. They know that it lives in a cave on the mountain and that silver will kill it. Though they come back with a wolf's head, they lost one of their number in the process. Father Solomon (Gary Oldman) arrives with his band of werewolf hunters to explain that they had killed a wolf but their curse remains. Such is proven true that very night.
The movie primarily follows Valerie (Amanda Seyfried), a pretty girl with a rebellious streak. She is engaged to marry Henry the Blacksmith but wants to run away with Peter the Woodcutter, thus establishing the prerequisite love triangle. The movie quickly becomes a mystery as Valerie tries to determine who among the villagers is the werewolf. She has reason to suspect many, including her own family. Her worst fear is that it is Peter, which much of the evidence indicates he is. At one point, she has a nightmare in which she speaks to her grandmother (Julie Christie) and notes that she has big eyes, big ears, and big teeth! The better to eat you with!
The movie is a bit uneven. At times, it feels like a horror film. Other times, it is a mystery. There is also teen angst, a Twilight-like love triangle, a CGI wolf, and one-sided battles with the mighty wolf in the streets. There is also the oddity that it is winter and yet everyone is dressed like it's spring. Hard to make the guys look hunky and the gals look hot if everyone is bundled in thick cloaks and furs.
Not a great movie but not a bad one. Certainly room for improvement but fun and interesting in the watching.
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