It comes out today! I was going to go to the midnight release, but then I had to work instead cause of Spring Break being this week.

Anyone else go to a midnight release? Did you like it?

Well, I saw it today.

I must say, I was pleasantly surprised. I did think that it would end up being some super sickly romance, but the romantic aspect was downplayed much more than I expected. The focus of the movie was more centered on the mystery of, "Who is the werewolf?" Kind of like that old game... where you have one werewolf among villagers, and you have to figure out who it is. Granted, that got a little cheesy in some places. But when they finally do reveal who the werewolf is, at least it made sense and was the logical culmination of all the "clues" that they threw out there.

As for the wolf itself... Okay, it might have been a bit over done on the CGI front. The body was shaped a bit differently than a normal wolf, but it was quadrupedal and recognizeable as a wolf more than a beast. They used some Hollywood lore for it as well. Silver could hurt it, is walked during the full moon, couldn't change during the day, a bite would turn you (but only if it happened during a "blood moon" that occurred once every thirteen years), and it couldn't cross consecrated ground.

The start of the movie was somewhat abrupt and awkward. Once it got going, it smoothed out a bit. The very end of it was also a little abrupt, I thought.

Also, Gary Oldman in a purple dress was amusing. Rather amusing.

What I loved best about this movie is that absolutely everything that happens in it happens for a reason, even the most mundane scenes. Absolutely every moment is dedicated to propelling the plot, even the parts that are cheesy. Everything ties in together in a neat little package.

Nice, thanks for the review. I have to see it, as it is a werewolf movie, but now I have a tiny smidge of hope that it won't be a terrible waste of time

From another forum topic that was closed (since this one already existed):

werewolfwriter wrote:

Rushed to multiplex to see Red Riding Hood over the weekend and was not disappointed. I reviewed in my blog
Here's what I said

Red Riding Hood is exactly what it should be: a grownup retelling of one of our most memorable fairytales, with a horror spin. It has interpersonal conflict, a complex storyline, romance -- but it also stays true to the elements that made the tale so compelling to us as children. There is the underlying theme of sexual awakening, the symbolism of the red cape, the opposition of good and evil. Even the talking wolf, the walk through the woods to grandmother’s house and the line, “What big eyes you have,� are worked in.

The high production values -- sumptuous period costumes and sets -- completely immerse us in a medieval world, and yet the swooping, swerving camera lends the film modern-day immediacy -- as well as a perpetual feeling of unease.
In its creation of an olden-days town surrounded by menace, the atmospheric film is reminiscent of M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Village.� But here, the story is NOT torpedoed by awful plot turns...

to check out rest of review, visit my blog at http://freedomshammer.wordpress.com

mrRW wrote:

The cool part to me is that the wolf was a cognizant being instead of the usual crazed beast that we are used to seeing.  The ending for me was very cool and I have to say my favorite part (may elaborate on this more after more people have seen it).

Awesome!

Lycanis wrote:

the only bad thing they did't have a werewolf transformation tho.

I consider that a plus, personally. I'd rather it be offscreen and left to the imagination then show something that would decrease the quality of the movie.

your think there could be a sequel or how would you handle a second movie ?

Okay just got time off to see this. It was cool! The wolf looked great. Definitely will buy this on dvd. YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS MOVIE. Yeah I agree with (forgot who said they'd buy this on dvd before me).

Moonlit Hunter wrote:

Lycanis wrote:

the only bad thing they did't have a werewolf transformation tho.

I consider that a plus, personally. I'd rather it be offscreen and left to the imagination then show something that would decrease the quality of the movie.

True true. Why do people care if there's a transformation. Sheesh. I know I know I ask this a lot.

Lycanis wrote:

your think there could be a sequel or how would you handle a second movie ?

There could be, but it seemed like a one movie deal. I guess if it makes a crap load then perhaps??? I could see it happening.

SPOILER                               SPOILER                                     SPOILER




Anyhow I thought the movie was GREAT! The ending could have been stronger. LOVED THE LOOK OF THE WOLF except for the color. The werewolf's always been a grey/charcoal color and I would have liked that for at least one of them. And someone please explain, did the dad kill his mother or mother in law? I didn't get that. And also if the eldest sister had been talking to him, would he have just taken her and ran or taken the whole family? Last question, what happened to the dad's dad?

Last edited by WereWolfH (2011-03-15 19:45:21)

Again, everyone go see this movie, if at all for the look of the werewolf. Did you guys get the impression it could be an updated (if they ever updated the movie) G'mork?


SPOILER                                       SPOILER                                        SPOILER

alphanubilus wrote:

WereWolfH wrote:

Anyhow I thought the movie was GREAT! The ending could have been stronger. LOVED THE LOOK OF THE WOLF except for the color. The werewolf's always been a grey/charcoal color and I would have liked that for at least one of them. And someone please explain, did the dad kill his mother or mother in law? I didn't get that. And also if the eldest sister had been talking to him, would he have just taken her and ran or taken the whole family? Last question, what happened to the dad's dad?

SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER....

Cesaire murdered his mother. When Cesaire lured Lucy. Had she understood him and had she accepted his gift. He would have turned her into a wolf and left. As the eldest, she would get first dibs. Had she rejected his claim he would have pleaded with Valerie. Nothing is ever explained in the book nor in the movie as to what happened to his dad...

Now for my review of the film...

I think Red Riding Hood would have been a better movie had the writers/producers decided to actually give the movie a first Act. You sort of start the movie, in the middle of things, of which is sort of strange, especially as the novelization of the script, starts the movie off with the town being attacked by the Wolf, and Valerie (as a child) meeting it for the first time, and oddly enough, not showing fear. The book then sets up the main characters, their views, and the major plot points of the story. Had the writing been better, it would have been actually decent. The movie on the other hand, begins in a very odd way, and in fact you don't even hear the lead character's name until almost 20 minutes of the film. In short it is a bit jarring. Once you get past the first 30 or 40 minutes though, the last half of the movie opens up, and the story actually kicks off. The ending is a bit abrupt, but is okay...

I have to be honest though, as a screenwriter, and part time screenplay consultant, they really needed to work on their script, story development, and over all plot holes. This film is full of them, to an almost ludicris degree.

From the get go, the state that their Wolf is a werewolf. It is terrorizing their town, and yet it hasn't killed ANYBODY for over 20 years. They placate the wolf with little animal sacrifices that apparently feed it. The logic issues here are astounding. What makes them think it is a werewolf? If it is a werewolf why haven't they considered that one of them might be the werewolf? Why doesn't anybody in the town have silver weapons. If Holy Relics (as they do in the film) can hurt the wolf, and they know it, why don't they place them all around the town?
Why did they wait for 20 years to decide to try and hunt the beast....? See what I mean... the whole first part of the movie is a mess of illogical behavior.

Firstly it wasn't uncommon for wolves to predate close to villages. In fact many villagers would sacrifice weak and or dying members of their flocks to feed the wolves and thus placate them and keep them from hunting the good stuff. There is even a tale about a priest who made a pact with a wolf, in such a manner. A Wolf killing small game (not humans) wouldn't be terrifying at all. In fact by feeding the Wolf and keeping it around, the town was actually being protected by other predators, such as bears...

So they have a Wolf that hasn't killed anybody. It kills small game that THEY give it, and it ONLY kills those animals... Mmmm I'd rather love to have a wolf like that.

But you see the village already knows that it is a WEREWOLF. Red Riding Hood doesn't even dare to explain as to how they came about this knowledge. While it wasn't uncommon for supposed rumors of Lupe Garou (The Beast of le Gevoudan) to abound when dealing with a tenancious killing machine, they usually surmize this because of the methodological killing of innocent people... not animals. The reality is, a regular wolf is just as capable of coming back and helping itself to a free meal as a werewolf.

As I mentioned earlier if they knew it was a werewolf, why hadn't they created silver weapons, and realized that its human counterpart was living amongst them. I understand that these people weren't private investigators, but as supersticious as they were back then, they would have suspected each other from all along.

The problem with them already knowing it is a werewolf, leads to another issue, "Father Solomon". His whole role is rather pointless. He doesn't bring them any new information and he is rather horrible at killing the beast. He states the obvious, or what should have been the obvious. His whole purpose is simply to add filler, and he even devolves into a villian role.

Once you get past all of this though, the story finally unfolds. The Wolf is stylized but very well done. I agree with WereWolfH, it would have been nice if they had different colors besides black, but I think they did it for the visual style. Black against Red carries strong sexual undertones. I like the idea that the Wolf, while making bad mistakes, wasn't itself evil. He was wronged and wanted revenge. He did some bad things in the end, and even regretted it. It was really odd to see how Valerie would immediately turn against him though. Her father was deeply flawed and in my opinion began to act like a beast that was trapped, as in many ways he was trapped in a horrible life. Married to a wife who didn't love him. Made fun of and cruely treated by his neighbores. Living in poverty, when he could do so much more... all because he couldn't bear to be away from the girls he loved. I don't like how they sort of through it all out the window.

Of course the story ends with Peter becoming a Wolf. I saw that one coming... A. His name is Peter, and B. he's rebellious, stand offish, and for heavens sake he already looks like a wolf and acts like one. As the name Peter is connected to both the Russian folk tale, Peter and the Wolf and a true werewolf story (Peter Stubbe)... It wasn't a hard guess. Of course we KNOW that Peter is going to be a good wolf...

So in the end... I give it 2.5 Paws out of 5...

Waiiiittt, I MUST'VE gone to get a drink. When did Valerie meet the wolf as a child? And how come the mama married Cesaire if he wasn't rich vs. Henry's dad who was. That's why the forced marriage right? Okay I think I know this but the special boy, was he killed? Or just badly burned? I know it was a torture machine, but...

OH AND I FORGOT TO ASK THIS. Was this JUST in the trailer or did I miss the part where Red Riding hood is breathing that foggy air and you're led to believe that the wolf is in front of her? (In the trailer they add the "Grandmother what big eyes you have...." part. I think I missed that. Was that a deleted scene?

WereWolfH wrote:

OH AND I FORGOT TO ASK THIS. Was this JUST in the trailer or did I miss the part where Red Riding hood is breathing that foggy air and you're led to believe that the wolf is in front of her? (In the trailer they add the "Grandmother what big eyes you have...." part. I think I missed that. Was that a deleted scene?

Go back and buy another ticket.  Thats one of the coolest parts!

The Busboy wrote:

The "Grandmother, what big teeth you have" part was in the movie, it was part of a dream sequence.

no I know that part when she's talking to her Granny. But I mean the part in the trailer where she's breathing and inhaling what looks like the werewolf's breath like it walked up to her.  (Before the movie came out the trailer led you to believe the story was like the old fairy tales where they sacrificed the pretty girl and everyoen stayed inside)
let me see if I can find it hang on...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekKMYAOmTj0  at 2:13-2:15 seconds where was that part in the movie?

SPOILERS AS I REPLY TO THE SUPER LONG POST

Cesaire murdered his mother. When Cesaire lured Lucy. Had she understood him and had she accepted his gift. He would have turned her into a wolf and left. As the eldest, she would get first dibs. Had she rejected his claim he would have pleaded with Valerie. Nothing is ever explained in the book nor in the movie as to what happened to his dad...

Um... what I got was the he was going to turn Lucy first, not that he would only turn one of them. He would turn Lucy, then turn Valerie, and then leave with the both of them.

Now for my review of the film...

I think Red Riding Hood would have been a better movie had the writers/producers decided to actually give the movie a first Act. You sort of start the movie, in the middle of things, of which is sort of strange, especially as the novelization of the script, starts the movie off with the town being attacked by the Wolf, and Valerie (as a child) meeting it for the first time, and oddly enough, not showing fear. The book then sets up the main characters, their views, and the major plot points of the story. Had the writing been better, it would have been actually decent. The movie on the other hand, begins in a very odd way, and in fact you don't even hear the lead character's name until almost 20 minutes of the film. In short it is a bit jarring. Once you get past the first 30 or 40 minutes though, the last half of the movie opens up, and the story actually kicks off. The ending is a bit abrupt, but is okay...

Yeah.. actually, my biggest gripe with the movie was how abruptly it started and then ended. They really could have tried to ease you into the story a bit more masterfully.

I have to be honest though, as a screenwriter, and part time screenplay consultant, they really needed to work on their script, story development, and over all plot holes. This film is full of them, to an almost ludicris degree.

From the get go, the state that their Wolf is a werewolf. It is terrorizing their town, and yet it hasn't killed ANYBODY for over 20 years. They placate the wolf with little animal sacrifices that apparently feed it. The logic issues here are astounding. What makes them think it is a werewolf? If it is a werewolf why haven't they considered that one of them might be the werewolf? Why doesn't anybody in the town have silver weapons. If Holy Relics (as they do in the film) can hurt the wolf, and they know it, why don't they place them all around the town?
Why did they wait for 20 years to decide to try and hunt the beast....? See what I mean... the whole first part of the movie is a mess of illogical behavior.

Okay, while I agree that the movie has problems with the plot, the things you mention are not some of them.

In the later part of the movie, Valerie talks about how her grandmother told her the wolf used to kill entire families. So there was an era during which the fear of the wolf was instilled into the villagers, and at some point they managed to come to a "truce" with the wolf. They did not tell us the details about how they worked out this truce, but the end result was that they began leaving out animal sacrifices for it. In return, it no longer slaughtered the villagers.

Why do they wait twenty years to hunt the wolf? Why should they risk their lives by trying to hunt it down when they have a perfectly serviceable agreement with it already - leave it animals, and it leaves them alone. When it killed Lucy, it broke that agreement. They were angry. They had no reason to hunt it as long as it left  humans alone, but the moment it killed a human they wanted to go after it. Twenty years is a long time, so a lot of them probably had forgotten or never experienced whatever horrors the villagers went through back then.

How did they know it was a werewolf? They had been living with it for two generations. At some point, SOMEONE must have seen it. Anyone who looks at that beast couldn't possibly mistake it for a regular wolf. I find it far more strange that they could have mistaken a gray wolf for it when they killed the gray wolf than for them to know it was a werewolf in the first place. This thing has a long history with the village. It didn't just pop out of nowhere, even though the movie starts out of nowhere.

Firstly it wasn't uncommon for wolves to predate close to villages. In fact many villagers would sacrifice weak and or dying members of their flocks to feed the wolves and thus placate them and keep them from hunting the good stuff. There is even a tale about a priest who made a pact with a wolf, in such a manner. A Wolf killing small game (not humans) wouldn't be terrifying at all. In fact by feeding the Wolf and keeping it around, the town was actually being protected by other predators, such as bears...

You are thinking of Saint Francis, and that is not how the story goes.

And you forget - the wolf WAS terrorizing the humans and preying on them. They began the animal sacrifices as part of the truce. I am sure they were all too aware that the wolf COULD go back to killing humans any time they wanted.  Also, they did not view the wolf as a natural animal. They viewed it as a supernatural creature that was in league with the Devil. During this era, anything that was in league with the Devil was automatically scary because, as the Bible says (to paraphrase), "Fear what can harm your soul, not what can harm your body."

So they have a Wolf that hasn't killed anybody. It kills small game that THEY give it, and it ONLY kills those animals... Mmmm I'd rather love to have a wolf like that.

No, as I have pointed out, this wolf worked very hard to make the villagers afraid of him. He killed entire families. And, as we find out in the end, the only reason he accepted the truce of animal sacrifices was because he was biding his time until he could take his girls away.

But you see the village already knows that it is a WEREWOLF. Red Riding Hood doesn't even dare to explain as to how they came about this knowledge. While it wasn't uncommon for supposed rumors of Lupe Garou (The Beast of le Gevoudan) to abound when dealing with a tenancious killing machine, they usually surmize this because of the methodological killing of innocent people... not animals. The reality is, a regular wolf is just as capable of coming back and helping itself to a free meal as a werewolf.

Yeah, but, see... they had gone through this process. They went through this process of discovering what it was and living in terror as it slaughtered innocent people over twenty years prior to the start of the movie. The animals were a truce - which, we are led to believe at the end, the wolf only accepted so that he could keep his head down and bide his time while his children grew up.

As I mentioned earlier if they knew it was a werewolf, why hadn't they created silver weapons, and realized that its human counterpart was living amongst them. I understand that these people weren't private investigators, but as supersticious as they were back then, they would have suspected each other from all along.

Well, we really don't know what they had tried back in the day before the movie started. But it seemed like, at the time it opened, they were satisfied with the truce they had. So why bother going to all the extra effort when they can just throw out a pig and count their blessings?

Also, they did have silver weapons. Why didn't they realize it was living with them? Maybe they were stupid. They thought it lived in that cave. It must have done something at some point to make them think that. We don't see that part, though. Because the movie started too abruptly and didn't give us our background info.

The problem with them already knowing it is a werewolf, leads to another issue, "Father Solomon". His whole role is rather pointless. He doesn't bring them any new information and he is rather horrible at killing the beast. He states the obvious, or what should have been the obvious. His whole purpose is simply to add filler, and he even devolves into a villian role.

Father Solomon's role in the movie was basically just to educate and inform the audience about the nature of werewolves for that world. Also to be an extra villian.

Once you get past all of this though, the story finally unfolds. The Wolf is stylized but very well done. I agree with WereWolfH, it would have been nice if they had different colors besides black, but I think they did it for the visual style. Black against Red carries strong sexual undertones. I like the idea that the Wolf, while making bad mistakes, wasn't itself evil. He was wronged and wanted revenge. He did some bad things in the end, and even regretted it. It was really odd to see how Valerie would immediately turn against him though. Her father was deeply flawed and in my opinion began to act like a beast that was trapped, as in many ways he was trapped in a horrible life. Married to a wife who didn't love him. Made fun of and cruely treated by his neighbores. Living in poverty, when he could do so much more... all because he couldn't bear to be away from the girls he loved. I don't like how they sort of through it all out the window.

Well yes, I liked the fact that the wolf was not some mindless killing machine. He was a very human person who used his ability to lash out at the people who had hurt him. Were I in Valerie's place, I almost certainly would have taken the road of compassion and forgiveness - because that is the type of person I am.

But look at it from Valerie's perspective. He was her father. He was supposed to love and protect her, but instead he was personally responsible for turning her entire world upside down and terrorizing her friends. More to the point, he murdered her innocent sister for something their mother had done; and he murdered his own innocent mother for nothing more than that she found out who he was. He didn't even stop to think that, being her son, she might have helped him keep his secret. So he killed two utterly innocent parties - people who were both incredibly close to Valerie and who he had a personal responsibility to protect. It is not surprising that she couldn't get past that, even knowing her father's side of it all.

And as far as that goes - he really had no excuse for killing Lucy and his mother. No matter how badly used he was, neither of them was even remotely to blame for it. I can understand mauling his wife and killing her lover. Killing the child that he raised as his own and loved, and killing his mother - no excuse.

Of course the story ends with Peter becoming a Wolf. I saw that one coming... A. His name is Peter, and B. he's rebellious, stand offish, and for heavens sake he already looks like a wolf and acts like one. As the name Peter is connected to both the Russian folk tale, Peter and the Wolf and a true werewolf story (Peter Stubbe)... It wasn't a hard guess. Of course we KNOW that Peter is going to be a good wolf...

So in the end... I give it 2.5 Paws out of 5...

Bleh, I thought Peter was so incredibly overrated.

I did appreciate the fact that both young men were honorable and upstanding. I hate it when there are these, "Ooooh, do I pick the bad boy or the good boy?" conflicts. They are cliche and overdone.

I'm really not sure how I feel about the ending. I like how Henry ended up.

I think the biggest problem with the movie was that they worked so incredibly hard at trying to convince us that it was one of the two boys that it is obvious that it couldn't possibly be.

Also, what the hell was up with the creepy grandmas? They made Valerie's grandma out to be super duper creepy. And Henry's grandmother, though she has few speaking parts, is also ridiculously creepy.  Evil old biddies.