Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf? Apparently many should be with this new adaptation.  But no fret this adaptation is not scary but visually intriguing. From the vivid mind of the Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke brings a new edgy turn to this 500 year old legend.  The adorable and amazingly talented Amanda Seyfried takes on the heroine role, Valerie, who is caught between the man she loves Peter, played by newcomer Shiloh Fernandez and wealthy Henry portrayed by newcomer and member of acting royalty Max Irons.

Basically, we are all familiar with the fairy tale about the girl who goes to visit her grandmother only to discover she has been eaten by an enormous, very scary wolf.  This adaptation is based loosely off the original folk tale and various other adaptations. But this film takes on more of a mystery spin and adds a bit of a ‘who done it’ to the story which actually makes it worth tuned.

Amanda Seyfried is by far a star on the rise and she gave her best damsel in distress performance in this film. But she also added strength and courage to the character, which was certainly needed. But this cast was not only filled with new comers but lots of well-known established actors. Gary Oldman, plays Father Soloman, a man brought to the town to get rid of the beast. The ultra-talented Julie Christie is in the film as well as Valerie’s grandmother and number one suspect of being the wolf. Virginia Madson plays Valerie’s worried mother while Twilight’s Billy Burke plays her always alcoholic father.

Also, Lucas Haas makes a cameo in the movie as well. We haven’t seen him in awhile and it makes you think that Hardwicke must be a good business woman is when she can get people who haven’t been seen in a long time to do her movie. That and Leonardo Dicaprio was one of the executive producers.

While the more prestigious actors bring the right amount of talent that is needed for a film like this, the younger actors for sure brought their own to the table. Fernandez, who weirdly enough was considered for the role as Edward in the Twilight films brings more than just his dashing good looks. His charm and leading man qualities shows that he is ready to do whatever comes his way. Irons, son of Jeremy, does a fine job as well playing the man who wishes he could have the girl. We can certainly see where he gets his talent from, we only hope that we can see more of his work in America.

The look of the film is absolutely beautiful. The scenic design and the costumes made it fill like they were really living in a medieval village. But, what was good about this story is that it was not looked at as the typical fairy tale. It has a rawness and edge that really makes it stand out but, with a director like Catherine Hardwicke that what you get.

It is a coming of age story but in a good way, not like an episode of Dawson’s Creek. Before you see this movie remember to forget everything you know about Little Red Riding Hood and be ready to see a more grown-up adaption with beautiful boys, much romance and of course a CGI wolf.

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