Silent Hill 4/21/06 19:46

The Silent Hill series of games have been some of my favorites over the years. So when I heard that they were doing a movie, I was skeptical, naturally. My thoughts were turned around when I found out that it was being written by Roger Avary (Killing Zoe) and directed by Christophe Gans (Brotherhood of the Wolf), as well as reports that both are avid fans of the games. JOYGASM! A game adaptation that might actually be great!

I was overtly excited leading up to the release date, with every commercial making me like a giddy schoolgirl. Then...a bombshell...Sony Pictures didn't show a press screening-which is usually horrible sign because the distributor more than likely does not think it's good. My heart sank, but I reassured myself that it would prevail.

I enjoyed the movie very much, but it was not without it's flaws. Here's my breakdown on the good/bad:

GOOD: This movie had amazing atmosphere and imagery. My hats off to the cinematographer, he made such an eerie town. The camera work was impressive, primarily once Rose gets into Silent Hill because it's very much like the first game. Another plus was the monsters...wow. They weren't so much scary, as they were unsettling. You felt a chill when you saw some of them. The little girl who played 2 characters in the movie was great, and by great I mean creepy. She pulled off being innocent with one character and weird with the other. The music was fantastic; the same composer from the games created it, so they bring a lot of familiarity for those who have played. Plus, the music borders on somber/mystified thoughts. Last, but not least, just how twisted this movie is. I mean...there are some really F*@k'd up scenes, especially right before the final act. It was a cross between Hellraiser and House on Haunted Hill.

BAD: There was no character development, although there really isn't in the games, but I would have appreciated a little. They tell the back-story through a visual monologue 3/4 the way through. You never do that, and I get why they did it. In games, you have hours of playtime to uncover the past in small clips, eventually bringing the pieces together. You can't do that with a movie. I wish that they dropped little hints along the way so that it did come together smoothly, and so the audience could piece it along the way. And my main concern about the movie...no scares. NONE whatsoever! Like I said in the Good part, it gave you uneasy feelings; you had expectations of what's to come...but it just didn't deliver. Many of the high-tension scenes falter away.

Overall, I had fun with the movie. It gave you some of the same feelings while playing the games. It was a plus that we saw it with only a few people so we could add in our commentary, mostly little bits from the game (ex. crossing off the map-"can't go there") and hearing the same sounds that Shaun makes playing the game ("GAWWW!"). While it wasn't the best game adaptation, and probably won't make waves in the box office, it has a good chance of being a cult classic in the future. I will probably pick it up on DVD.

I give it ***1/2 out of 5