Red Riding Hood (2011)

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Great Film overall

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Most of the people didn't like this movie,but l enjoy...maybe the old tale has been changed but the primary elements was good enough. Althroug is a Studio's movie without external scenes and helped by graphic computer the movie works... and with the cast like Gary Oldman,Julie Christie and Virginia Madsen together with Amanda Seyfried and the young actors hold the picture...the false track in the script let the viewers confused who is the beast anyway....good entertainment really.

This is a nice update on the "Little Red Riding Hood" fairie tale. Instead of a wolf terrorising the local village we have a werewolf. This adds the dimension of mystery to the tale for who could be the dreaded werewolf. The writer David Leslie Johnson and director Catherine Hardwicke do a fantastic job of playing people off people and putting them into situations where you can never quite figure out who the killer is. This makes for quite an enjoyable movie which the audience can have a stake in; there's not many of those around today.I also liked the fact that the writer and director kept the story in the faerie tale spirit. The setting of the Ye Olde Village is brilliant, it gives a close knitted community that, pretty much, lives in each other's pockets. So when it's revealed by Solomon, played by Gary Oldman, that the beast could be one of them a personal fear and distrust of neighbours starts to spread. There is something very haunting about the village and the surrounding forest as it stands upon a bed of snow, which constantly falls from the overcast sky. All of this just adds layers upon layers to the film making it stronger.On the whole, I loved this film, though there are a few drawbacks which made it drop a few points. I don't understand why Oldman tried to do a German / Bavarian accent as the rest of the cast didn't bother. The worst of it was, his accent kept slipping and this became annoying.Most of the cast were excellent in their parts giving believable performances. Though there were times when both Max Irons, who played Henry, and Julie Christie, as Grandmother, came across as lacking in substance... sometimes Henry just looked doped up... and Grandmother was as wooden as her luxurious forest home.Then there was the music at the celebration of the killing of the beast. We heard modern rhythms and instruments (especially synthesisers) when the musicians were playing horns and drums. Also, the dance we see between Valerie (Amanda Seyfried) and her friend Prudence (Kacey Rohl) wouldn't be out of place in today's nightclubs... but probably not for a religious community. Lastly, the main sections of the story that people know and love - "Oh Grandma, what big eyes you have" and the wolf in grandma's clothing. These are taken as two separate scenes, which I can understand, though they appear to have been thrown into the story and film and this is a waste as they are pivotal to the original story and should have been used better to draw the audience further into the tale. I hate waste and this was an extreme waste of a good idea.This is a beautifully written, shot, and acted film that I would recommend to all as there are elements of mystery, thriller, horror, and fantasy, as well as a pretty decent love story. Worth a watch at least once.

I found this film amazing! I truly loved it! It definitely hooked me from the start as it used the original story of 'Red Riding Hood' however it soon developed into a whole new plot that fitted so nicely. Not only that, but the actress Amanda Seyfried performed her role incredibly well, which made the film much more enjoyable. The tension and shock of many of the scenes really intrigued me because i wasn't expecting such a huge plot twist. Furthermore, the way that they tried to disguise who the wolf was extremely clever as i would never of guessed who it was in the end. Finally, i believe that the whole setting of the film was brilliant as you could really imagine yourself in the actual movie, which made it so much more interesting.

Wasn't too sure what to expect with this being based on a children's fable yet filmed as a serious horror/thriller flick. To my pleasant surprise it was quite enjoyable and had a nice Gothic almost German expressionist type feel to it that you might expect from directors such as Burton or Gilliam.The film isn't much of a horror as its not really scary at all so don't be thinking its gonna be a blood fest, there are some bloody moments but nothing extreme. The film runs on a fine line between fantasy and thriller with an slim element of sexual fantasy running through the plot for young teenage girls. Nothing strong, think along the lines of 'Twilight' teenage angst mixed with 'Cursed' or a little bit of 'Ginger Snaps' but not as in your face as those films, there is still an enjoyable werewolf film in here.Much fun comes from Oldman as Father Solomon the werewolf hunter. Giving a borderline hammy performance but at the same time adds a much needed edge to the film. A much needed bite of realism or stability, without that the film could easily have become laughable. Seyfried also gives a good performance as the lead Valerie which keeps the films head just above the water, apart from her and Oldman the rest of the cast aren't too good.Glorious visuals, gloomy, dark and brooding set amongst snow coated forests of aggressive and gnarled looking trees. The sets are convincing yet the wolf CGI is slightly dubious in places. Simple plot which is handled quite well seeing as its only based on a short fairytale, it won't mesmerise you but its a decent solid werewolf flick.7/10