The familiar fairy tale gets a decidedly dark and grim remake.
The familiar fairy tale about the virginal young girl visiting her grandmother in the woods gets a decidedly dark and grim remake. However, the absence of the “little” from the title here suggests that this is a more grown up version of the tale, rife with its undertones of sexual awakening, lust, superstition, and repression.
The film is set in the quaint village of Daggerhorn, which lies on the edge of a remote and sinister forest, which is terrorised by a werewolf every full moon. The villagers send for Father Solomon (Gary Oldman), a church sanctioned official werewolf slayer. Solomon quickly informs everyone that the werewolf assumes human form during the daytime and is most likely someone within the village. Is it our heroine Valerie (Amanda Seyfried)? Is it her father (Billy Burke)? Is it her grandmother (Julie Christie)? Is it either Peter or Henry, the two hunks who lust after Valerie? Or is it the weird local priest (Lukas Haas)? At least the guessing game brings a modicum of interest to proceedings.
Red Riding Hood is Catherine Hardwicke’s first film since the successful Twilight, and it has numerous parallels to that film, which audiences will be quick to identify. We get plenty of teen angst and passionate glances that pass between the central characters. There is also the way in which Hardwicke films the forests, so that they glisten and almost become another character in the drama. And then there is her fast and easy wheeling treatment of the lore of mythological fantasy creatures, albeit replacing vampires with lycanthropes. And, of course, there are the two hunks, from different backgrounds, who lust after our virginal heroine.
However, this is a more full-blooded film than Twilight, and there are a few bloody moments. Despite the obvious failings of the rather bland narrative and the clunky dialogue, written by David Johnson (Orphan, etc), the film admittedly looks great. Hardwicke is a former production designer and she has a superb eye for creating marvellous visuals. Australian cinematographer Mandy Walker has captured some gorgeous images, and the wintry landscapes add to the chilling ambience and sense of foreboding. Thomas E Sanders’ production design for the medieval village is also quite striking.
However, the early establishing shots are created through the use of CGI, and look obviously fake. Even the CGI created werewolf is rather clumsily done, and is more risible than terrifying. The characters are also given something of a contemporary vibe, which jars with the medieval setting.
The performances of the cast offer a mixed bag. Oscar winner Christie lends her luminous presence, but seems to lack her usual engagement with the role. Young hunks Shiloh Fernandez and Max Irons (the son of actor Jeremy Irons) deliver suitably wooden performances. Seyfried (from Mama Mia!, etc) seems to be growing up and is selecting more adult oriented roles, as with her recent Chloe. Oldman seems to be the only one aware of how ludicrous the whole thing is, and he gleefully chews the scenery at every opportunity.
Red Riding Hood is something of a medieval bodice tearer, but at its heart this perverse fairy tale is an exploration of a young girl’s sexual awakening. However, Neil Jordan’s dark The Company Of Wolves was a much better and far scarier treatment of similar themes.
