Customer Reviews

Red Riding Hood

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

My almost four year old granddaughter picked this film as she already knew the story of Little Red Riding Hood from her mom and dad. I was a little concerned it might be too scary as it is PG but I should have realized that she was able to handle it very well.

The wolf is a werewolf. Lainie Kazan is the grandmother and is reading the story to her grandchildren. Lainie is wonderful in this!! If you are over 50 you may remember her singing on the Mike Douglas Show or on Ed Sullivan.

While the wolf swallows people whole, it is done by special effects that make it look cartoonish thus not scaring even my granddaughter! She really loved the whole film and was very enthusiastically telling her aunt, one of my other daughters, how good it was!!

If you have a mature preschooler who understands pretend and cartoon violence, they will enjoy this as the singing and fun stuff are hilarious. There is a precarious situation for the two kids in the film but even that is broken by humor and turning out not to be as dangerous as it looks. Otherwise I would recommend the viewing be by at least 5 or 6 year olds.

This movie is so entertaining I watch it with my children every time they put it on. We quote it, and sing along all the time. I rented it and my 4, and 2 year old girls watched it so much i had to buy it.

I ordered this dvd for my niece (4). It was not what I expected. My niece doesn't care for it too much either. I think she might enjoy it more when she's a little older.

In the real world, a young girl named Claire is preparing to sneak out for the night and meet friends when her babysitting grandmother holds things up by reading a story to her and her little brother. With some mysterious, grandmotherly magic, the pages of Grandma's book are altered to fit the tastes of her young audience. As she reads the story of "Red Riding Hood," we meet a family that parallels their own. Claire imagines herself as Red, a spirited young girl who lives in a lighthouse and is being stalked by a bloodthirsty werewolf as she disobeys her mother and takes a shortcut to her grandmother's house. Red and her kooky, New Age grandmother share the same freedom loving spirit. There's also a fairytale stereotype huntsman whom Red quickly crushes on and is a bit out of place in this otherwise modernized Red Riding Hood tale.

It's painful for me to write a 2 star review for a Red Riding Hood film. I personally adore the story, especially when the werewolf aspect is employed. However, this film, while not without a few good points, is more than a little painful to watch all too often. To go by the DVD cover, you might be expecting something really magical and spectacular, and, at times, the visuals do seem to have that look. A large amount of computer effects are employed, especially with the backgrounds and musical numbers. It works for the background stuff. If only they hadn't gotten so wacky with the musical numbers! Some of the cheesy visuals make the numbers in "The Worst Witch" look good. The songs themselves are a mixed bag, but mostly not that great. The cast is all over the place, as is the writing. I suppose one of the biggest stars here is Lainie Kazan as the grandmother, though I also found her to be one of the more annoying aspects of the film. In the "real-world" stuff, she comes off as a female Ernest Borgnine from "Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders," and in the story she's just irritating. Surprisingly, the kids are pretty good actors. Sam Oz Stone is pretty decent as Red's little brother (and Claire's too), and Morgan Thompson is probably the best thing about this 2 (or 2 and a half) star movie in the role of Red/Claire. She's got "the look" and the voice to really take her places on stage and in the movies, so hopefully we'll be seeing more of her in the future. Joey Fatone is also one of the better aspects of the film, clearly having a ball as the werewolf who probably makes this movie too scary for the audience that will appreciate it the most, 4-year-olds.

On top of all this, the DVD has no extra features beyond English and Spanish subtitles. The film is presented in 1.78:1 widescreen and continues to be way overpriced at the time of this review.

I bought the DVD for my daughter's 7th birthday. Both she and my 5yr old love the movie. They sing the songs from it all day long.

This is a modern version of the classic tale, with Californian kids. There are no really scary moments, at least not for a five year old. The wolf is more of a cartoon character, so the "violence" is silly/funny. Kids behave as kids, so the influence of the movie in your child depends on how your Parental Guidance skills are. This movie is A LOT OF FUN. Music is great with catching songs. Your kids will sing it and so will you.

Any reviewer who trashes a film or book will always run the risk of being seen as merely a bomb-throwing fanatic whose viewpoints are unworthy of consideration in polite company. I will run that risk with this film. It was difficult to tell with accuracy how unimpressed were my 9 year old and 4 year old girls were, but one can get an idea by the fidgeting and apparent disinterest they displayed. As for me, I would say it was simply awful to the point of being cringe-inducing and unwatchable. Save your money and time.

This is an updated story of Little Red. When going to Granny's she defiantly goes through a wooded short cut with very entertaining results. Little Red rides a bike, Grandma lives on the ocean's edge in an A frame with a yoga hut, Dad and Mom are light house keepers. Lanie Kazan is the Grandmother, she narrarates and sings in the movie, a very talented lady. The songs are upbeat and quirky and a lot of fun, don't let this one pass you by it is a welcome change from all the brainless kidvids out there.

And it's got plenty of kicks for adults that will fly right over the kids heads. Good perverted fun. Joey Fatone was brilliant.

I fought this film was going to be much better. First it is a musical but the song make me cringe. Second the wolf had a creepiness about him. Take for example his song he dreams about cooking children and putting them on sandwiches. Also he eats many people and it is onscreen (Not gory but disturbing). These victims include little girls. But I still like this film.