Red Riding Hood

Set in a medieval village that is haunted by a werewolf, a young girl falls for an orphaned woodcutter, much to her family's displeasure. -IMDB

• Hello Hottie-Hot-Hottie Shiloh Fernandez!
• Revamped fairy tale? I'm so there.
• It has a very gothic/medieval tone.. that's how I roll! 

Shiloh Fernandez received my instant favor with my superficial adoration for his rugged good looks. He came onto the screen and from my third row vantage point, I was immediately Team Peter. Amanda Seyfried, playing the role of Valeria, is one of my favorite actresses, and this movie was no exception.Throughout the film, the chemistry between Peter and Valerie was so flawless, and appeared so natural, that it actually made me feel like I needed to leave that theater and go look for love. Have you ever read a book that made you feel desperate to go snuggle against someone to try to replicate the closeness of the characters? That was this movie for me.


Parts of this movie that I loved:

• Chemistry of the characters
• The clothing was not only period-appropriate, but it also helped express the characters' personalities
• The special effects (ie. the wolf looked amazing, the various wounds and bites were done really well)
• The totally unexpected plot twists that kept me on edge

Parts I disliked:

• Though the Peter-Valerie-Henry love triangle was emotional and played excellently by the cast, I still dislike that whole "you have to choose" situation
• Father Solomon was a very convincing pompous jerk!
• For being a PG-13 film, the violence was borderline rating-appropriate (ie. severed hands, sword-wielding bloodshed, bloody/body-strewn snow)

The director of this movie, Catherine Hardwicke, also directed the Twilight movies. Throughout Red Riding Hood, there were a few similarities that Gina and I wanted to shed light on.

Red Riding Hood VS. Twilight: Similarities

• Same aerial landscape footage (we tried to find key locations from Twilight, like the infamous cliff-diving cliffs, or the spider-monkey tree)
• The whole "it only takes one bite and you'll be like me" scenario.. Been there, done that, thanks Edward!
• Bella and Valerie have the same dad, literally! Actor Billy Burke plays both Charlie Swan and Cesaire
• There was similar doom and gloom settings, especially in the woods
• Love triangle... need I say more? (Also the whole forbidden love thing)
• Innocent, young heroine is forced to comply by power-hungry elders (Volturi VS. Father Solomon)
• Same type of music for the action scenes, the love scenes, the fight scenes, the credits..

Red Riding Hood VS. Twilight: Differences

• Red Riding Hood has better wolves...much better
• Overall graphics and scenery (bloody snow > rainy gloom)
• Bella is a wuss, but Valerie has a secret dark side where she actually had some backbone!
• Valerie falls in love and picks a guy instead of dragging them both along for the ride
• Red Riding Hood has an ending that not only answers the big questions, but it also doesn't give everyone a happy ending, which somehow makes it so much better