By Sumaya Samarasinghe - The Sunday LeaderDirected by Catherine Hardwicke to whom we owe the first insufferable Twilight movie, Red Riding Hood seems unfortunately very similar in style and plot.
The virginal heroin this time is called Valerie and just like Bella in the vampire saga, she has two suitors and the wolf who swallows up grandma in what everyone remembers as the story of Red Riding Hood, has been replaced by an awful looking, huge, computer generated werewolf who speaks! That sadly plunged the film into the category of ridiculously comical, which it was never meant to be, because the movie (plot, actors, script…everything!) takes itself very seriously!
But then again, why not take a few liberties with the story since its original version has gone through quite a few changes?
The first printed version of Red Riding Hood belongs to French author Charles Perrault. Known as Le Petit Chaperon Rouge, the story does not have a happy ending and more people perhaps are familiar with the version written by the Grimm Brothers, where both the grandmother and red riding hood are saved by a huntsman who kills the wolf.more
Getting back to this very basic film without dipping into any Freudian analysis or study of the plausible symbolisms linked to the red hood; Red Riding Hood attempts (and fails miserably) to give a gothic twist to a childhood tale and makes a huge effort to attract a teenage audience by transforming the heroine (Valerie) of the story into a beautiful young woman played by the stunning Amanda Seyfried for whom two hunky young men fight over.
Valerie is in love with Peter, a woodcutter. He is poor but they have loved each other since they were children. Her parents however have arranged for Valerie to marry Henry, the wealthy blacksmith’s son. Henry is a nice fellow, great gelled hair like Peter, but does not have the wild, bad boy/wrong boy charisma which women just seem magnetically attracted to.
While she is plotting to run away with her true love, she hears the danger sirens from her village signaling that the wolf who used to come and claim innocent lives has struck again. This time the victim is Valerie’s older sister whose body has been found among those odd looking cones of hay .
The villagers this time decide to fight the wolf and all the men including Valerie’s two suitors and her drunken father head out to massacre the killer. They come back with some animal’s head, which obviously is the wrong one, if not the film would have lasted only 15 long minutes.
Meanwhile they send for the famous werewolf killer Father Salomon (played by Gary Oldman, who must be having some serious tax issues for having to act in such nonsense). Anyway, Salomon arrives with some pretty tough looking warriors and a huge metal elephant, yes you are reading that correctly, and he quickly dampens the party mood by telling the villagers that the werewolf is one of them.
From that time onwards, Valerie seems to think that just about everybody around her could be the wolf, including her loving grandmother played by the regal Julie Christie (What is she doing in this film!!?).
One of the most unwillingly hilarious moments of the movie is when Valerie and the giant computer generated werewolf have a long conversation together while her friend is shivering by her side!
If one digs deeper, themes of communities turning against one another, the strength of faith and true love could perhaps be discussed.
But the truth of the matter is that despite this film being called Red Riding Hood and its heroine wearing a lovely scarlet cape, it just couldn’t be further to Perault and Grimm’s tales.
Nicely and very esthetically filmed, like a video clip on MTV, Catherine Hardwicke needs to become (once again) the director who gave us the fabulous Thirteen and Lords of Dogtown. If you have time on your hands and are in need to admire some very good looking people, then Red Riding Hood is the film for you; if not skip it.
