Red Riding Hood

Sometimes when reviewing DVDs you have to approach them with low expectations and a relisation that you are not the target market. Red Riding Hood is a classic example. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke whose only real claim to fame – that she has the biggest film opening ever for a female director – really is only a nod to the runaway success of the Twilight franchise than any real directing skills Hardwicke may (or may not) posses. The cynical side of me would suggest the mere fact that she was dropped from her role for all subsequent Twilight films is an indication of her industry standing.

But I digress. When I first heard about Red Riding Hood (or at least Hardwicke’s version) I had no idea Hardwicke was involved or that it was firmly aimed at that lucrative Twilight market. I had high hopes that t could be a dark re-visioning of the tale, something closer to it’s probable roots than the sanitised fairy tales we all grew up with.

Alas it was to be nothing of the sort.

But because I have teenage daughters, I decided to give it a go.

In places Red Riding Hood is a dark gothic tale and one that does have a few very nice twists in it. The direction of the story may even surprise you a little. The real trouble is that Hardwicke decided to populate this dark gothic tale with the same plastic barbie doll type actors that Twilight is famous for. And then, not realising that no one gets turned on by plastic fiction, Hardwicke tries to inject some rampant sexuality into a film aimed at a market that isn’t allowed to witness explicit imagery, resulting in a terrible combination of dark brooding gothic mixed with plastic models with a failure to act but trying to seduce the audience without being given the ability to even tease. 

All up, it’s an unmitigated disaster.

Unless you’re a teenager.

The only hope this film has is in the fact that after watching it, my teenage daughter wants to watch it with her friends at her birthday party next weekend.

So if you’re not a teenager obsessed with weird looking cute guys, then stay away.

FILMGUIDE rating:

Reviewed by: Jonathan