movie review
Red Riding Hood
Cute children's tale gets a PG-13 makeover
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I was surprised to read the less-than-favorable reviews of ‘Red Riding Hood,’ because I really enjoyed it. While watching the film, I kept thinking how cool it would be to put a modern spin on some of the other classic fairy tales. I learned later that there’s a modern ‘Snow White’ in the works, scheduled for a 2012 release. The director, A. D. Calvo, is known for dark and brooding films, so maybe that’s what we’ll see.
‘Red Riding Hood’ is directed by Catherine Hardwicke, who also directed ‘Twilight,’ and there are more than a few similarities. We don’t know exactly how old the main characters in ‘Hood’ are, but they appear to be in their late teens. And as with ‘Twilight,’ this movie was filmed in the Pacific Northwest (Vancouver, British Columbia), so those same gorgeous landscapes and forests are present here, too.
The story takes place in a medieval village where folks make a meager living cutting wood or getting by as best they can. Young Valerie (Amanda Seyfried) is torn between two men. Her parents have arranged for her to marry the wealthy Henry (Max Irons, son of Jeremy Irons), but she’s drawn instead to the orphaned wood-cutter Peter (Shiloh Fernandez). Just as she and Peter are about to run away together, Valerie’s older sister is killed by the wolf that prowls the dark forest surrounding their village.
It’s not the first time the beast has struck. He’s been terrorizing the village for some time, but the villagers have maintained an uneasy truce, offering up a monthly animal sacrifice. Under the “blood red moon,” however, the wolf has upped the stakes by taking a human life. So the people call on famed werewolf hunter Father Solomon (Gary Oldman) to help them. Fear is only heightened when he warns them that the wolf takes human form during the day, which means it could be any one of the villagers.
Trying to figure out the identity of the wolf is one of the fun things about this movie. We get the feeling it’s someone close to Valerie, but is it Peter? Her mother (Virginia Madsen)? Grandmother (Julie Christie)? Dad (Billy Burke, who plays Bella’s dad in ‘Twilight’)? The big reveal at the end sets things up for a sequel, although given the box office numbers, that probably won’t happen. And by the way, the wolf here is more menacing, less cuddly than the wolf pack in ‘Twilight.’
They couldn’t have picked a better Red Riding Hood than Seyfried. The filmmakers make full use of her huge eyes, which are tailor-made for this role. I also love the dark and gloomy forest setting. You’ve got quaint cabins in the woods, dusty haylofts in shadowy barns, doors that creak and water that splashes around in wooden pails as Valerie fetches it from the spring. I’d see the movie again just for all of that.
And yes, Valerie eventually dons a hooded cape that’s starkly red against the shadowy backdrop. Both Henry and Peter are handsome teens, and with Julie Christie and Gary Oldman onboard, the cast is nothing short of impressive. Does ‘Red Riding Hood’ signal the next ‘Twilight’ franchise? Maybe not, but it’s definitely a worthy contender.
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