Red Riding Hood
Amanda Seyfried stars in this dark retelling of the classic Little Red Riding Hood fable, set in a medieval village where a werewolf has been terrorizing the citizens. Though the night has become a more and more dangerous time for the villagers, who never know when the beast will leave more bodies strewn in its wake, Valerie is a girl on the brink of womanhood, and is so preoccupied with her love and lust for an orphaned woodcutter that she risks leaving herself vulnerable -- both literally and figuratively. Meanwhile, the townspeople hire a werewolf hunter (Gary Oldman) to track down the monster and kill it before it wreaks more bloody havoc. But as suspicions brew, the people of the once peaceful town begin to turn on each other, letting the innocence of their formerly happy community fall further and further into the past.
Director: Catherine Hardwicke
Starring: Amanda Seyfried,Gary Oldman, Billy Burke, Shiloh Fernandez, Max Irons
Catherine Hardwicke's prettified movie is a strange adaptation because it supplants the woodsy horror of the original fairy tale with two new elements: a romantic triangle and a witch hunt.
The best that can be said is that the production design is striking. Otherwise, it's a foolish story, marred by a strange blend of overacting and bland, offhand performances.
A laughably inept series of adolescent poses trying to pass itself off as a movie.
Aside from a few arresting visuals, Red Riding Hood is just a slog through the woods.
Red Riding Hood goes from trite to triter, a plot collapse that overtakes any of the visual prettiness from cinematographer Mandy Walker (Beastly).
Excellence in Fantasy Film
Costume Designers Guild Awards (2012)
Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young Actor
Young Artist Awards (2012)
No lists