Citizen critics on ' Red Riding Hood'

Casey Johnson
Rachelle Lopez
Judy Trussell

The Union-Tribune’s movie panel saw “Red Riding Hood.”

Casey Purlia Johnson

14, eighth-grader at Standley Middle School

Liked: “Red Riding Hood” puts a dark twist on the traditional story of a young girl in a red cape frightened by a big bad wolf. Valerie lives on the edge of a forest with her family in a small village. They are terrified by the wolf, who snarls into town every full moon, killing many townspeople. The citizens try to escape from the wolf and kill it. The priest informs them the wolf could very well be anyone, even the most trustworthy. The quest begins to identify the wolf. I liked this mystery. It took a while to understand the full background of the religion, history and the uncovered family secrets. There are a lot of story lines that make it interesting.

Disliked: The wolf’s eyes were very scary, although I thought the rest of it looked kind of corny. I also disliked how there was so much violence. There are many disturbing scenes, and I didn’t think so many deaths were needed.

Would I recommend it? I would recommend this movie if you’re a fan of the “Twilight” saga. It portrays the supernatural world and also a classic love triangle of two boys fighting over one girl. This is definitely not the fairy tale your parents read to you when you were 6 years old.

Rachelle Lopez

15, Escondido High School student

Liked: There were many things I enjoyed. I especially liked the suspense. You never knew what to expect. There were similarities to the fairy tale, but it was cool because it had its own little twist to it. It was a more sophisticated version for an older age group and shows that stories that interest children can also interest adults. I was literally biting my nails throughout the movie.

Disliked: The movie was amazing, but the end could have been better. I was expecting more of a happy fairy-tale ending.

Would I recommend it? I would definitely recommend “Red Riding Hood” to my friends, family and even strangers.

Judy Trussell

65, Lakeside, retired management analyst

Liked: I enjoy this type of movie. It’s a love and horror story by Catherine Hardwicke of “Twilight.” It takes place in a medieval village. Valerie (Amanda Seyfried) is in love with Peter, but her mother (Virginia Madsen) wants her to marry Henry from a rich family. Valerie and Peter want to get married until her sister is killed by the werewolf that has haunted her village for years. The people in the village ask Father Solomon (Gary Oldman) for help. When he arrives, he tells them the werewolf could be any of them. Father Solomon finds out that Valerie has spoken to the werewolf and wants to use her as bait. Valerie starts to suspect the wolf could be Peter, Henry, or someone in her family. It keeps you guessing who the werewolf really is.

Disliked: There were a few violent and bloody scenes, especially some with Father Solomon.

Would I recommend it? Yes, but it is a strong PG-13, not suitable for preteens. It’s not your usual Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale.


