LA MESA – Red Riding Hood is a fantasy filmed based on the classic tale of “Little Red Riding Hood” dating back in the Brothers Grimm version to 1697. This latest version is a twist on the classic we all know and love.

The film is about Valerie (Amanda Seyfried), a young girl who lives in a village plagued for generations by a menacing wolf. As the film opens we find that the townspeople for many years have sacrificed their finest livestock to the beast. Things change when Valerie’s older sister Lucy is attacked and killed by the beast.

The townspeople, enraged by the murder of the young girl, decide to hunt the wolf with the assistance of legendary witch slayer Father Solomon (Gary Oldman). The film turns into a witch hunt as Father Solomon proclaims “This is no ordinary wolf, this is a WEREWOLF…The wolf may be your neighbor!!.”

The subplot of the film focuses on the forbidden love between Valerie and village boy Peter (Shiloh Fernandez), Valerie is to be married off to Henry (Max Irons) for money and betterment of the family. Unhappy. the town’s star-crossed lovers plan to run off but are interrupted by the wolf’s presence.

The film is wonderfully shot and Amanda Seyfried’s acting is solid. That being said, nothing can make up for the poor dialogue and Fernandez’s less-than-stellar acting. Over all the movie is a disappointment. It seems far from the morally sound tale of the original “Little Red Riding Hood.”

*
Film: Red Riding Hood
Director: Catherine Hardwicke
Rated: R
Written by: David Leslie Johnson
Actors: Amanda Seyfried, Shiloh Fernandez , Gary Oldman, Max Irons
Viewed at: Grossmont Center
Film Rating: 2 out of 5