Posted: 08/16/2011

Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil

(2011)

by Robert Baum

The follow-up to the CGI release of 2005 Hoodwinked, sadly is like all too many sequels. Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil is an unnecessary retread offering nothing really new, save for Hayden Panettiere substituting for Anne Hathaway as the voice Red Riding Hood. Many of the voices from the original return, like Glenn Close, Patrick Warburton, David Ogden Stiers, and Cory Edwards.

This time out, Red is training to be a member of an elite group called the Sisters of the Hood (an OK pun for a minute or two) and winds up going after Hansel and Gretel. It turns out the witch who kidnapped them is an old classmate of Granny (Close) when they were both in training to be members of the Sisters of the Hood. And from then on, a rather hastily put together story emerges with some surprise but lacks the wit of the original.

Whether Hathaway declined due to work commitments or (an)other reason(s), she is all the wiser for passing. Though clearly her charm can shine through anything, Panettiere is merely a copycat and perhaps a draw out the audience that made the small screen series Heroes a hit. While the first one was a clever homage to modern-day small screen police procedurals, this effort looks like it was thrown together hoping to perhaps cash in on the success of the original. Probably would’ve been better to release it directly to DVD, where one’s investment is less than the usual fee of most movie houses.

Robert Baum is currently a Bryn Mawr, PA-based film afficanado and pop culture junkie.

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