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Red Riding Hood
Rating: 5/10
Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Gary Oldman, Julie Christie, Shiloh Fernandez, Max Irons, Viriginia Madsen, Lukas Haas
Director: Catherine Hardwicke
From the director of Twilight, comes a film about a girl who's in love with the wrong boy as a killer stalks the village she lives in.
Hold up - that sounds exactly like Twilight....
Red Riding Hood is the latest adaptation of the fairy tale and sees Amanda Seyfried's Valerie trapped in a love triangle with Shiloh Fernandez's woodcutter Peter and Max Irons' Henry - as well as a murder mystery, when the townsfolk she's living with in a high mountain range are picked off by the big bad wolf.
As fear continues to grip the snow-capped village, a priest (played with scene chewing aplomb by Gary Oldman) is called in to try and save them.
But as the climate of terror grows, the threat to Valerie and those she loves becomes greater - and soon she realises she's the key to saving everyone.
From its opening shot of villages in mountains as the camera sweeps across trees, it's very hard to not think about Twilight - which I guess to a degree is what you'd expect from the director of the very first film. Throw in lines like "If you love her, you'll let her go" and "I lost a sister - I can't lose you" and clearly you're in teen angst territory in more ways than one. Add into the mix a pair of boys and a love triangle - plus a wolf which looks like one of wolf pack from a certain other franchise - and you'd be forgiven for thinking you're watching a different film.
That said, while the rest of the cast are fairly wooden and stilted, Amanda Seyfried shines in this. With her big blue eyes (all the better for seeing you with, right?) and pale complexion, she stands out from the rest of the townsfolk - but physicalities aside, she also stands out with her slightly ethereal acting, bringing an air of mystery to her part as the film goes on. Gary Oldman is okay too - but he's clearly overacting in some parts which takes the edge off a little.
I suppose at the end of the day, Red Riding Hood will find a teen audience that will adore it - with some striking visuals and a gothic air here and there, there's certainly something for genre fans to love - but many will feel they've seen it all before. Some may even argue they've seen it done better too.
Watch the trailer for Red Riding Hood here.
