Red Riding Hood is a werewolf movie. What type of werewolf movie you ask? Part thriller, part romance, and part fantasy. It represents a certain trend that I've been noticing as the years go on. Throughout the second half of the twentieth century, werewolves were mainly associated with horror. Films such as The Howling (1981), Stephen King's Silver Bullet (1985), and An American Werewolf in London (1981) worked to portray the werewolf as a vicious, flesh-eating monster. I'm not saying that's not what a werewolf is, but in modern day times, the werewolf has strayed away from being used in horror films (The Wolfman (2010) being one of few exceptions). It is now more frequently being used in fantasy and fairy tale films such as Blood and Chocolate (2007) and Twilight (2008) and fantasy television shows such as Vampire Diaries. Given that this movie is directed by Catherine Hardwicke, the director from Twilight, Red Riding Hood does not stray from being a fantasy, fairy-tale type film as it depicts a love story that could potentially be destroyed by this vicious beast. The film does not focus on the werewolf killing people, it focuses on the main character's association with the man she's in love with and the man she has been arranged to marry but doesn't want to, and also on her connection to the beast. That's what makes this a great film.
Valerie, played by my future wife (if only) Amanda Seyfried, is the main character in this film. In the beginning of the movie, we are introduced to her and Peter (Shiloh Fernandez), the man whom she has been in love with since they were children. Although they do love each other, in the town of Daggerhorn, marriages are arranged and thus Valerie is arranged to marry a man named Henry (Max Irons). Despite this, she loves Peter and tries to resist marrying Henry. Her romantic relationship with Peter and her efforts to resist Henry provide an entertaining backdrop and subplot to the main story, which involves a werewolf killing people in the lonely town. At the start, we find out that the village has held a peaceful truce with the beast for many years. However, it appears this peace is broken when Valerie's sister Lucy (Alexandria Malliot) is killed by the monster. Outraged, the townspeople, including Peter and Henry, set out to hunt for the beast. They kill it and bring back its head. However, Father Solomon arrives the next day and reveals that they have killed an ordinary gray wolf- the real beast is still among them and will kill again. Sure enough, it does just that. Valerie encounters the beast and it talks to her- it asks her to run away with him. Thus, the film focuses on who the wolf might be and how he is connected to Valerie. Father Solomon thus uses Valerie as bait as he stays in the town to hunt the wolf. This main story backed up by Valerie's encounters with Henry and Peter provide for a rich plot full of entertainment, romance, and action.
The plot itself makes this a sensational film. Although the story isn't suspenseful, it is well-written because it raises question after question as the movie goes along rather than give away too much too soon, which would make it highly predictable. The story is not predictable at all- it is pretty hard to figure out how this movie is going to end- who is Valerie going to end up with? and who is the werewolf? And as I mentioned before, the audience will wonder how Henry and Peter will finally fit into the main plot. This and the fact that Valerie is connected to the beast in some mysterious way keep the audience fully interested in this fantasy tale at all times. Father Solomon's explanation of how werewolves are created is also very intriguing to listen to with a visual demonstration included.
The climax to the movie will not disappoint- it is unpredictable and unexpected. You will think you have it all figured out, you'll think you know who the wolf is, and when his true identity is revealed, you will realize that you were wrong. As I said, the fact that the story is hard to figure out is what makes it so good. If the plot was more predictable, this would not have been a good movie.
The acting was great. Amanda Seyfried put in an outstanding performance as usual and the rest of the cast did well too. The characters were all believable and most were quite likable and admirable. Valerie is passionate, caring, and reserved. The audience will feel enchanted by her relationship with Peter and will sympathize with her when she realizes her and Peter cannot be together and when the town shuns her for having contact with the beast. Peter himself is heroic- he is brave and selfless. He is selfless in the sense that he is willing to let Valerie go if it means her life will be better without him and also in the fact that he would risk his life to protect her and others. Henry is the same way- even though Valerie doesn't want to marry him, he puts all those feelings aside and works with Peter to try and rescue her. Valerie's grandmother (Julie Christie) and her mother (Virginia Madsen) and father (Billy Burke) represent good family- they care very much for their daughter and will do anything to see to her safety. These characters are truly admirable in so many ways. Here's the catch though- could any of these people be the wolf? I guess you'll have to watch and find out! The only unlikable character is Father Solomon as he is unnecessarily brutal with the townsfolk throughout much of the film. Maybe he's the wolf- he sure fits the personality of a ravenous, aggressive beast. And that brings me to the wolf. Since the wolf can talk, we know he is aware of what he's doing and this means he doesn't care about killing people which means he is evil (If the wolf is one of the characters above, then what I said about him/her being admirable is false! Unless of course Father Solomon is the wolf).
The special effects were fantastic as well. The wolf was very well done! Given that this movie was done by the same director from Twilight, the werewolf design in this movie is eerily similar to that used for the werewolves in the Twilight series. Nonetheless, I still think it is pretty creative. The wolf looks scary and intimidating and is very powerful- a true monster. The camerawork and lighting were exceptional as well. I also liked the setting. Daggerhorn is kind of an isolated town up in the snowy mountains. I know this has been done many times before in fantasy films, but I liked it here. The setting does a good job of setting up an enchanting backdrop for the fantasy tale to take place.
So what does set this apart from other fantasy films? Nothing really. There's a love story, a monster that could ruin everything, the main character has a connection to that monster, and it takes place in a typical fantasy setting. But the fact that the plot is hard to figure out and the great performance put in by the cast make this an entertaining flick. I highly recommend this film if you enjoy fantasy tales!
BaD BiRdS: EXCELLENT MOVIE!!!
~MJ Aufiero
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