Red Riding Hood (2011)
W.T.F.? I'm all for rewriting old stories and throwing in a new twist. I thought making the wolf into a werewolf was fascinating. Until I watched the movie. I'm pretty sure this film wasn't made for my age group, however.
The movie is about Valerie's village, which has been plagued by a werewolf for 20 years. They thought they made peace with the beast until it kills Valerie's sister. Of course, the villagers decide to hunt it down and more people die. They call in a "professional" hunter, a priest, and the story turns into this weird witch hunt Crusade-type film.
BUT the main focus of the film is the love triangle between Valerie, Henry, and Peter. Peter is, of course, the dark brooding guy. The "Emo kid" as my spouse called him. Henry is the rich boy who is kind of a coward. The film tries to make you believe that Peter is the werewolf, but thankfully, he's not.
To me, it seemed like the movie was made for Team Jacob fans. It was very "teeny boppy" feeling to me. So, if you like Twilight, you'll probably like this movie. I don't like Twilight, so I didn't like this film.
Wrath of the Titans (2012)
This movie took the awful taste of Red Riding Hood out of my mouth! It had everything I look for in a movie: a storyline, attractive actors, cool creatures, action, and explosions. I couldn't have been happier!
The movie once again follows Perseus and his adventures in helping the gods. By this point, Zeus and his fellow immortals are losing their powers because no one prays to them anymore. Because they are weakened, they can be killed (which is actually a viable story and Immortals should have used that in their plot. The movie would have made a lot more sense).
Hades has a divine vision of raising their father, Chronos, who has promised to restore their immortality. Hades is afraid of dying and fading into oblivion. If you know about Greek mythology, you know that Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon trapped their father because he tried to kill them. Chronos wasn't a very nice guy, but the other gods weren't either when it suited their needs. Hades captures Zeus and uses his power to fuel Chronos. Perseus has to intervene so that the universe doesn't become unbalanced.
I had a bit of a problem with Hades and his flip-floppiness. I thought his going to the good side was a little too easy, but as my spouse pointed out, "He's a slippery b*tch. He'll take any side if he knows it will benefit him." And that is probably true.
It was a great film. It doesn't take much to keep me entertained, and I loved the creatures and the adventure. There was also this notion of legacy and what a father passes to his son and how his son influences the father. Plus, this whole thing about the importance of family and sticking together. I might write an article about it, but I'll need to find time. All in all, it was a great film.
Of course, you don't have to watch the film for the hidden meaning/message like I do. You can just enjoy it for the action and adventure. If you like movies like this, I highly recommend it. Don't look for completely accurate mythology, just enjoy the ride!
