The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

In
this latest fantasy tale set during the 1300s, Valerie (Seyfried) is a young
woman caught in a love triangle. Although she’s deeply in love with her childhood
friend Peter (Fernandez), her parents make arrangements for her to marry the
wealthy Henry (Irons). When she and Peter are left with no other options, they
decide to escape and to live the life that they’ve always wanted.

However,
their plans come to an abrupt end when Valerie’s older sister is murdered by a
mysterious evil force believed to be roaming the village. When matters appear
to be out of their control, the villagers call on werewolf hunter, Father
Solomon (Oldman), to help them kill the beast.

As
the events proceed, Valerie also learns that the wolf that appears at night
could be disguised in human form by day and living among them, which makes everyone
around her a possible suspect; even the one that she loves.

Red Riding Hood’s story can be enjoyable if you don’t compare it to the
original tale, as it’s remarkably different. The film is a mix of a love story, horror
sequences and some action scenes, which usually work well in a fantasy film. However, these elements also drag the film down; audiences may feel that
the film has no particular identity
or consistency as it tries too hard at times to go in many different directions, leaving a fair
number of audiences feeling lost.

Just
like most Hollywood productions, the special effects in Red Riding Hood are nicely executed, though not necessarily mind-blowing.
As for the cinematography, Red Riding
Hood is beautifully shot – it’s quite challenging to capture both the charm
and the danger of the forest; yet the director managed to do so.

The
acting in Red Riding
Hood isn’t particularly impressive. Seyfried is over the top during
the fright scenes, ignoring the old adage that less is more. Billy Burke as
Cesaire is passable in a role that is very similar to his last peformance in Drive Angry 3D, while Fernandez and
Irons provide pale performances as the two love interests. Gary Oldman,
however, is the highlight of the film; a great performance by a great actor.

Red Riding Hood isn’t exactly a perfect modern-day version of this
children’s fairytale, and the overall entertainment value is quite weak. It’s a
mixture of Twilight and The Wolfman; so if you happen to enjoy those
films, then you will appreciate Red Riding
Hood.