Red: Werewolf Hunter

The concept was intriguing, but considering it was SyFy(who have been responsible for a lot of terrible movies, bottom-of-the-barrel in some cases) I was also dubious. What a surprise to see that Red: Werewolf Hunter was actually watchable. It is not perfect, and not award-worthy, but alongside The Lost Future, Tin Man and Alice(does Neverland count as SyFy, if so that too) it is one of their more watchable efforts. The dialogue is weak and the acting apart from Stephen McHattie, who's a lot of fun if occasionally too strident, at times felt stiff including from Felicia Day, who seems very detached. The story, sort of a take on Little Red Riding Hood, is mostly interesting, dark and imaginative also with an ending that was surprisingly unpredictable in how shocking and bittersweet it was, but there were also some parts that felt underdeveloped. However, the production values are better than expected, the effects are nothing amazing with some jarring movements but there have been far cheaper ones from SyFy, but I loved the costumes and spot-on sets, the Gothic atmosphere and the photography, which is less haphazard than I thought it would be. The music is haunting and the direction is pretty solid. The characters are okay if not always engaging at first, but you perhaps learn to warm to them by the end. Overall, not great, but watchable especially coming from a channel as notorious as SyFy. 7/10 Bethany Cox