After her worldwide blockbuster success with ‘Twilight’, director Catherine Hardwicke followed up with another title in 2011, somewhere between cheesy teen romance and gothic horror: ‘Red Riding Hood – Under the Wolf Moon’. The film was based on the classic fairy tale ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ and brought some real stars to the screen, including ‘Mamma Mia!’ favorite Amanda Seyfried and Oscar winner Gary Oldman (‘The Darkest Hour’).
Yet you don’t have to tune in when “Little Red Riding Hood – Under the Wolf Moon” is on Tele 5 today, December 23, 2023 at 10:20 PM. Nor does the repetition that the channel broadcasts at 1:45 am on the night of December 24 to 25 apply.
If, despite our warning, you want to see the film but these dates don’t suit you, the FSK 12 title is available as paid video-on-demand on the usual streaming portals. You can also order the Blu-ray from online retailers like Amazon. This one features a longer, bloodier FSK 16 cut.
“Little Red Riding Hood” on Tele 5: that’s the story
There have been repeated attacks by werewolves in Daggerhorn for years, leaving the residents of the remote village living in fear and terror. They regularly sacrifice their best livestock so that they themselves are spared.
Young Valerie (Amanda Seyfried) still manages to lead a somewhat normal life and has been a happy couple with the young lumberjack Peter (Shiloh Fernandez) for a long time. But Valerie’s parents (Virginia Madsen, Billy Burke) want more for their daughter; They therefore arranged a wedding with the wealthy Henry (Max Irons). The girl is shocked and wants to run away with her lover.
But then the bell rings in the village square, which can only mean one thing: the werewolf is back! When he doesn’t maul a sheep this time, but rather Valerie’s sister (Alexandria Maillot), the angry residents go out and kill a large wolf in the forest that they think is responsible. However, Father Solomon (Gary Oldman) warns that the real monster may still be alive, and one of them. Then Valerie gets a terrible premonition…
Too much “Twilight”, not enough “Little Red Riding Hood”
As you could read in the table of contents and like ours too FILMSTARTS review by author Maren Koetsier It turns out that, despite the title, the film doesn’t have much in common with the world-famous fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. Certainly, a few motifs, such as the atmospheric forest landscape, are still reminiscent of the magical, wonderful fantasy world. But ‘Red Riding Hood’ quickly and visibly becomes confused between a romance that takes up too much space and, combined with these inappropriate-looking, brutally dark thriller and horror elements.
Clumsily forced attempts to get closer to the source material occasionally seem desperate and downright silly. Examples include a nonchalant villager dressed in wolf fur who unmotivatedly blows away three little pigs or the title heroine who suddenly and as if out of character asks her grandmother why she has such big eyes and ears.
It was all too clear that an attempt was being made to build on the mega-success of the ‘Twilight’ series. The symbol for this is the weak love triangle, in which – just like in the vampire saga – it is clear from the beginning how it will end. Yet the actual focus of the story is repeatedly pushed to the sidelines: the events surrounding the wolf and the effects they have on the village community. Even a wonderfully sinister Gary Oldman as a hardened werewolf hunter can’t do much.
*
Author:
Source : Film Starts
I am Dawid Malan, a news reporter for 24 Instant News. I specialize in celebrity and entertainment news, writing stories that capture the attention of readers from all walks of life. My work has been featured in some of the world’s leading publications and I am passionate about delivering quality content to my readers.
