Amanda Seyfried plays Valerie, a young girl in a village fearful of an ungodly werewolf that has been terrorizing them for twenty years. Its latest victim is Valerie's sister. So to solve the mystery of who the werewolf is, as well as to kill the creature, they seek the help of a religious priest (Played by Gary Oldman), a man experienced in the killing of a wolf. One night, the wolf attacks, but Valerie discovers that... she can talk... to the... wolf...
zzzz...
zzzz...
What? Oh, sorry. I guess I'm as bored summarizing the plot of the movie as I was watching the actual movie.
First of all, Amanda Seyfried makes an attractive fit for the role of Valerie, and the production design of the film is interesting, but that's as close to complimentary as I'm going with this movie.
Director Catherine Hardwicke really has trouble keeping an even sense of rhythm, and the cast is a serious disappointment. Gary Oldman hams up the scene, while Julie Christie is sadly exploited for her willingness to stand around and do nothing. The leading men of Valerie have the personalities of water and sandpaper, while Billy Burke and Virginia Madsen can't make anything out of their roles. They do bad jobs, but it isn't all their fault. I know I'D have trouble trying to do a half decent job with this kind of writing.
The screenplay is awful beyond comprehension. Full of contrivances, unbearable dialogue, and a needless sense of piling on characters, and twists and turns until the final product is a total WTF of lame explanations. I wouldn't be surprised if someone fell asleep watching the movie, but I also wouldn't be surprised if they woke right up. The movie, with it's musical thumps and white noise, is near as loud as a rock concert... and I never could understand why they felt the need to play alt. rock music during a period piece.
In short: One or two bright spots - bland acting + ridiculous screenplay + off pacing = Terrible.
Red Riding Hood = * out of ****
zzzz...
zzzz...
What? Oh, sorry. I guess I'm as bored summarizing the plot of the movie as I was watching the actual movie.
First of all, Amanda Seyfried makes an attractive fit for the role of Valerie, and the production design of the film is interesting, but that's as close to complimentary as I'm going with this movie.
Director Catherine Hardwicke really has trouble keeping an even sense of rhythm, and the cast is a serious disappointment. Gary Oldman hams up the scene, while Julie Christie is sadly exploited for her willingness to stand around and do nothing. The leading men of Valerie have the personalities of water and sandpaper, while Billy Burke and Virginia Madsen can't make anything out of their roles. They do bad jobs, but it isn't all their fault. I know I'D have trouble trying to do a half decent job with this kind of writing.
The screenplay is awful beyond comprehension. Full of contrivances, unbearable dialogue, and a needless sense of piling on characters, and twists and turns until the final product is a total WTF of lame explanations. I wouldn't be surprised if someone fell asleep watching the movie, but I also wouldn't be surprised if they woke right up. The movie, with it's musical thumps and white noise, is near as loud as a rock concert... and I never could understand why they felt the need to play alt. rock music during a period piece.
In short: One or two bright spots - bland acting + ridiculous screenplay + off pacing = Terrible.
Red Riding Hood = * out of ****