Summary
There are several chuckle-worthy moments, especially with Red Riding Hood as a stand-in for the viewer asking all the right questions.
Here is our review of the 2023 Japanese Netflix movie Once Upon a Crime, which does not contain significant spoilers.
The Japanese Netflix original Once Upon a Crime takes well-known European fairytale characters and puts them in the middle of a whodunnit. Directed by Yuichi Fukuda, the film stars Kanna Hashimoto as Little Red Riding Hood, Yuko Araki as Cinderella, and Takanori Iwata as The Prince.
Once Upon a Crime (2023) Review and Plot Summary
We all know the story. Cinderella wants to go to the ball but has nothing to wear because she’s at the mercy of her cruel stepmother and stepsisters.
In this version, Cinderella lives in a land where everyone’s judged by how beautiful they are.
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Little Red Riding Hood is on a “life-enhancing” journey and has magical deduction skills. She comes across Cinderella and decides to join her at the ball.
The two get their beautiful gowns made by the stylish yet old-school witch Barbara while her niece helps with the glass slippers. Barbara also turns the pumpkin into a beautiful carriage and a sweet mouse into the driver.
On their way to the ball, Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood’s carriage runs over the body of Mr. Hans, the royal hair stylist. Not one to let something as small as a dead body ruin their big night out, the girls decide to hide poor Mr. Hans and continue to the party.
At the ball, things start great for Cinderella, with the Prince choosing her to dance. The party is cut short when Royal guards uncover Mr. Hans and turn this royal event into a bonafide murder mystery.
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Little Red Riding Hood has an uncanny knack for mystery-solving and won’t stop until she finds the killer. Could it be Cinderella’s evil stepmother? What about the wicked stepsisters? Or is the handsome Prince behind the heinous crime?
As far as fairytale reimaginings go, Once Upon a Crime ticks a lot of boxes. There’s magic; it takes an interesting take on a well-known story, and we have a set of quirky, fun-to-watch characters.
Sadly, that’s not enough to justify a full 105-minute feature. This movie would have been excellent as a one-hour episode. At this length, we get far too many drawn-out filler scenes.
The overall mystery is ridiculous, and most of the dialogue is very much nonsensical. At times, it feels like watching a stage play, not a film. But at least it adds an interesting spin to the classic tale.
Is Once Upon a Crime (2023) good or bad?
Despite being too long, Once Upon a Crime is quite an entertaining fairytale parody. There are several chuckle-worthy moments, especially with Red Riding Hood as a stand-in for the viewer asking all the right questions.
Is Once Upon a Crime (2023) worth watching?
Once Upon a Crime is a parody through and through and not meant to be taken seriously. It’s worth streaming as long as you keep your expectations low and have some time to kill.
What did you think of the 2023 Japanese Netflix movie Once Upon a Crime, and how would you review it? Comment below.
