Just what I expected

Better Late Then Never

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

First, the cloistered atmosphere is finely played to: the snow, the isolation, the faith of the villagers in their Homegrown Clergyman and then in Visiting Clergyman Who Will Save Them. I felt immersed in a time when travel was rare and visitors eyed askance, or appeared to be deliverers. The wolf showed up exactly when he meant to, to quote Gandalf the Grey, just enough footage to project menace. I honestly didn't guess the identity of Wolf. Next, the actors pleased me as an audience member because they seemed singleminded in their devotion to their village with the community united to protect itself from an ongoing, draining threat of 20 years' duration. All the big and little romances got enough attention; the screenwriters handed out Americanisms like whoa: "Okay" in particular got me smiling, because then the film reminded me of a King Arthur movie a few years back with the same feel. It may have been 2004's "King Arthur." Finally, it's a movie to have fun watching, with Oldman intense as usual and Seyfried on the cusp of womanhood and the most rounded of characters. A quibble is that the fate of the mentally challenged boy was unclear. A bobble in the plot was that main characters got stabbed and still walked around in the next scene, while an oldster got pushed hard and it killed him. Still fun movie, though.

So, I can pretty much find something to enjoy about a movie. If not the acting, I can appreciate or enjoy the scenery, music, or something.But there is nothing enjoyable about this film. It is truly one of the worst things I have ever seen on screen. The acting is laughable, the plot is ridiculous, and there is nothing memorable about the film's scenery or score. The movie also seems to suffer from something of an identity crisis- it can't decide if it's a horror film, a supernatural thriller, or a romantic teen drama. I like Amanda Seyfried just fine, but she is just not a good enough actress to carry a leading role in a film. Not even the lead in this film which, to be perfectly honest, doesn't require her to do much other than widen her eyes. In my opinion, she is better in smaller, supporting roles and that is what she should stick to.Even renowned actors like Gary Oldman and Julie Christie cannot save this movie. In fact, why either of them would agree to be in a movie like this is beyond me. Maybe they really needed the money at the time, I don't know.I saw this movie when it came out in theaters, and it was a regrettable waste of money and time. I advise anyone who happens to catch this movie on TV not to waste their time with this film by watching it. You will regret it.

Now I admit that I don't mind bad movies sometimes. I have enjoyed many cheesy slasher sequels, and I didn't even mind the village. As a movie lover it is rare for me to turn a movie off before the end, out of hope for finding a redeeming point. I couldn't make it through this movie, I even tried again a couple years later with the same result. I've read many reviews with twilight comparisons but honestly you're better off watching twilight. At least you know what to expect from that and it doesn't try to sell itself as something it's not. A dark retelling of a classic Grimm fairytale this is not. Bugs bunny did the fairytale more justice than this movie came close to. I'll spare you the details of everything this movie does wrong, just please spare yourself the torture of watching it.

Wasn't too sure what to expect with this being based on a children's fable yet filmed as a serious horror/thriller flick. To my pleasant surprise it was quite enjoyable and had a nice Gothic almost German expressionist type feel to it that you might expect from directors such as Burton or Gilliam.The film isn't much of a horror as its not really scary at all so don't be thinking its gonna be a blood fest, there are some bloody moments but nothing extreme. The film runs on a fine line between fantasy and thriller with an slim element of sexual fantasy running through the plot for young teenage girls. Nothing strong, think along the lines of 'Twilight' teenage angst mixed with 'Cursed' or a little bit of 'Ginger Snaps' but not as in your face as those films, there is still an enjoyable werewolf film in here.Much fun comes from Oldman as Father Solomon the werewolf hunter. Giving a borderline hammy performance but at the same time adds a much needed edge to the film. A much needed bite of realism or stability, without that the film could easily have become laughable. Seyfried also gives a good performance as the lead Valerie which keeps the films head just above the water, apart from her and Oldman the rest of the cast aren't too good.Glorious visuals, gloomy, dark and brooding set amongst snow coated forests of aggressive and gnarled looking trees. The sets are convincing yet the wolf CGI is slightly dubious in places. Simple plot which is handled quite well seeing as its only based on a short fairytale, it won't mesmerise you but its a decent solid werewolf flick.7/10