Red Riding Hood is kind of like Twilight, but with werewolves... Oh, that's right.

This newest release from the director of the first Twilight film, Catherine Hardwicke, takes another look at the classic folk tale Little Red Riding Hood, only this version has more angst than morals.

The flick follows Valerie, Little Red, and the struggle her village faces against the wolf that lurks in the forest. It does not become entirely clear until about halfway through the movie that the beast is in fact a werewolf, as opposed to a traditional wolf. The main story thread actually follows the fable very little; the girl is not travelling to her grandmother's house when she meets the wolf, the wolf does not eat her grandmother and strangely seduce the girl herself, and there is no hunter to save anyone. What Red Riding Hood does have is a love triangle between Valerie, a humble woodcutter named Peter and the wealthy silversmith Henry.

This film also has betrayal by close friends, feelings of isolation by the protagonist and so much teen angst it is difficult to focus on anything else. There are also the obligatory interactions of the female lead with the beast, as it seems the wolf wants Valerie and she understands its language and is able to converse with it. Everything about the plot is pathetically predictable.

The cast is decent enough, featuring Amanda Seyfried in the lead role of Valerie. Seyfried is able to convincingly play an 18 year old who is desperately in love with someone she simply can't have. Her character is reminiscent of every other teen girl who loves the bad boy, and for some reason her character is fearless when confronted by a werewolf twice her size.

The two male love interests, Peter and Henry, are played by Shiloh Fernandez and Max Irons, respectively. Both men give mediocre performances and were undoubtedly cast based on their resemblance to tween favourite Robert Pattinson.

Some surprisingly big names give less than notable performances including Virginia Madsen and Billy Burke as Valerie's parents, and Julie Christie as her grandmother. The only performance worth noting is that of Gary Oldman as Father Solomon, the priest who comes to the aid of the village. His performance stands out above the rest, but it's all relative.

The film looks very much like Harwicke's first effort, Twilight, and the soundtrack is similarly unoriginal. The flow of the story is awkward and choppy, the plot line moving far too slowly on occasion and then skipping over or rushing through action.

If you are a teen girl who is hoping to someday fall in love with a supernatural beast, then this flick was made for you. It also might be your cup of tea if you are deeply interested in the retellings of Little Red Riding Hood. If you are neither, then don't waste your time or money on this flick because you simply won't enjoy it.

Rating: 1 out of 5 stars