Movie Review: "Red Riding Hood"

Red Riding Hood looked like a movie I may have wanted to see...the preview seemed dark, mysterious, and a little scary, with just a touch of romance added in for flavor. Though, after seeing this movie, I can't help but think I may have seen it already. Perhaps because I have--this is essentially Twilight sans the vampires (the most interesting part!), and it does a not-so-convincing job of intertwining a classic childhood story with adult elements.

The movie is seemingly supposed to be set somewhere far in the past, but the setting is often unconvincing of the times, and the lighting certainly doesn't lend to the spooky feel one would expect from this film. Aside from the setting, this movie isn't as bad as many reviewers are saying. If you liked Twilight, you'll probably like this 'spin-off,' especially the romantic parts, as they bear an uncanny resemblance to those in this film's vampire-charged counterpart. The acting throughout the movie is laughable at times, which takes away from the spooky undertones of the film, but overall the movie was entertaining.

If you're looking for a little horror, this movie is certainly not for you. While slightly suspenseful at times, the horror label is equivocal to that of M. Night Shyamalan's The Village. The film rather poorly leaves the audience with a sense of suspense, and sometimes confusion, as they may not know the movie is striving to be suspenseful. In addition to the ineffective attempts at horror and suspense, Red Riding Hood creates two mysteries for the audience to solve, one poor, and one great. The first is that regarding who the werewolf is. Probably because I was distracted by the bad acting, unconvincing setting, and non-engaging parts of the movie, frankly I didn't care who it was. The film neither offers the audience a benefit for solving it, nor a desire to. The great mystery, however, will undoubtedly stick with you for hours after the movie...that is, from where could Gary Oldman's accent possibly have derived??

All in all, the movie was entertaining, but certainly not thought provoking or engaging. As a college student who is, as usual, low on cash, I suggest not seeing this movie, or rather, waiting until it is on DVD so you can illegally download it. (I do not endorse illegally downloading anything, including, but not limited to, movies, music, and documents.)

Suggested for: Guys who want to see a movie with their girls, but can't stand real chick flicks/Those who can't handle real horror films, but are in the mood for a pseudo scary movie.
Rating: 2/5 Stars