Customer Reviews

Silent Hill [UMD for PSP]

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

First with regard to Blu-Ray, I suspect the above reviewer was using an inferior television. The picture was sharp and superb almost to the point of distraction sometimes, but I suppose that's the point of using Blu-Ray.

As for the movie, when I saw it had Radha Mitchell (from Pitch Black) and Sean Bean I knew that this would not be a standard shocker, and I was not disappointed.

The movie throws subtle clues about what's going on to accumulate and fall together at the end for a touching and rewarding 'wow'. This movie stuck with me through the night after I watched it and put all the pieces together neatly with appreciation for the writing as well as the directing and acting.

I'm extremely pleased I waited for this movie to come out on blu-ray before I saw it, too.

As for the statement saying this is a highly profeminist and christian movie... that has got to be the most unitelligent comment ive ever read. Don't let nonsense like that turn you off!!

As many reviews will tell you - this movie is only fully appreciated by the Silent Hill players. I personally only played Silent Hill 4 for a few days and still loved this movie. I even went back for a second time while it was in theatres.
The entire movie's got this atmosphere to it that's haunting -but also very visually stunning and appealing. Call it.. morbid beauty. But aside from that, the acting is great, and the plot plays out with a sense of mystery that leaves you to use your head (that might turn off some people?)
One thing that I like about the Silent Hill movie is that the horror isnt based around killing or gore. Its a kindof horror that leaves you thinking "What the...?" or something along those lines. For any fans of a good, thrilling, dark, scary movie - you'll love this one!! BUY IT!!

Loosely based on a video game of the same name, Silent Hill is a film that most people have concluded that they either like or hate. The former tend to be a demographic that have played the original game, or games from the series (there have been 4 made thus far), I would fall into this category. The latter are your horror film fans looking for the next great flick but have no prior context of the Silent Hill lore. Though created by a Japanese video game developer, Konami, the Silent Hill series has always had a Western flavor of horror which has created a greater than cult following here in the States and gives it an innate edge as a film adaptation for Western movie-goers. And unlike its distant, but most relatable relative Resident Evil (another survival/horror game-to-movie), Silent Hill was a cinematic thriller as a game and overflowing with potential to be transitioned to theaters. Director Christophe Gans makes an admirable attmept, but Silent Hill fails to be as great as it could have been.

The movie begins with a little girl, Sharon, sleepwalking and having nightmares and the only thing her parents, Rose and Christopher, can figure out is it must have something to do with "Silent Hill" as she is heard repeating this during her spells. Okay, so what is Silent Hill? By doing a google search, Christopher, along with the viewer, learns that Silent Hill is an abandoned, haunted town in West Virginia. Not even 10 minutes later, movie time of course, Rose is already taking her daughter to this mysterious place in attempt to try to help her daughter with whatever is ailing her. While clearly making everything seem rushed and unbelievable this started the movie off on the wrong foot and the choice of sequencing was unnecessary to begin with. A better beginning would have been to start the movie with Rose and Sharon going to Silent Hill and then reveal the build-up and motivation to the decision with the scenes that followed.

This shortcoming can be overlooked, however, due to the fact that once the pair arrives at Silent Hill, and for the hour that follows, the audience is drawn into the eerie world of Silent Hill and the things that inhabit it. Slowly the viewer begins to learn the nature of Sharon as well as the haunted town she was drawn to. An effective use of cinematography and CG really bring the world of Silent Hill as established in the game to life and perpetuates a psychological suspense in the viewer. The most rewarding kind of creepy is the type that forces the audience to remain on the edge of their seat with subtlety as opposed to doing it with an overabundance of in your face shock. And for a cast of actors I was completely unfamiliar with, I found the acting more than competent, sans one or two performances. Also of note is the way the film's soundtrack provides a perfect complement to the experiences being portrayed. It will sound very familiar to fans of the games as many of the songs are straight from their soundtracks, which are remarkable in their own right and the creation of musical guru Akira Yamaoka. Even the songs exclusive to the movie are very well done and enhance the theatrical ambiance.

Unfortunately, for all the momentum that was building during the first half of the movie, the downside is it's somewhat relinquished during the final 40 minutes when the suspense begins to sputter and scenes are fleshed out longer than they needed to be. It's at this point that only people who are familiar with the games will be endeared while everyone else begins to get a sense of `been there, done that' and will feel that have figured everything out. This is coupled with the fact that before the final climatic moments, the movie goes out of its way to tie up loose ends removing all the mystery, which is a major complaint that's been mentioned by other reviewers. To the contrary, there are still enough subtle plot holes that aren't made apparent that will leave the more attentive viewer contemplating long after the credits have rolled.

You don't have to be a film expert to realize that Silent Hill is far from perfect so it would be irresponsible to rate it 5 stars. Yet the film still marks a major victory in the viability of video games being transfigured from a console to a movie theater due to all the careless attempts that have occurred over the years. And if you have developed any kind of relationship with the original Silent Hill game, this movie deserves 4 stars and is worthy of a purchase even though it proves unfaithful to the original script. For everyone else, this film garners 3 ½ stars and should be watched at least once since it does a healthy amount of things right. Ultimately Silent Hill is a gratifying experience that you won't regret investing 2 hours into.

I owned the original DVD and was excited to add this on blu-ray.

I love the movie and it actually to me looked pretty darn good. It had plenty of clarity to me and just plain looked better and was an improvement over my plain DVD version.

The problem is that all the great bonus features are all gone! I really enjoyed all the bonus materials and it really upset me that they couldn't make this version truly BETTER.

To all those who insist on writing mundane reviews of the actual movie, which makes no sense as these are supposed to be PRODUCT reviews, here is an attempt to actually promote the sincerity of a proper, and thus hopefully helpful to consumers, product review. In this case, concerning Silent Hill on Blu ray, I caution all potential buyers to be very aware of the seller as well as what "version" of the movie they happen to be selling.

Case in point: The actual product information listed by amazon states it is a Tristar release. However, many of the sellers are actually carrying the Alliance Films transfer, which is a company from Canada. This transfer contains the alternate cover art (as shown in the last image under the product) and contains no extra features to speak of, not even the trailers. This unfortunate inaccurate listing of product detail may clearly disappoint many individuals, who may want this movie for any number of reasons. Regardless of whether you enjoy the movie or not, obviously if you dont, they why would you buy it, correct? However if you do, it is highly disappointing to get a Canadian transfer copy when that is not what is adverstised per seller. Various alternate merchants list that the blu ray comes with extras, and some list it without, so whether those appeal to you comes down to the source you trust. If you truly want the extras, a good recommendation is to buy the current standard DVD version, as all current merchants carrying it list it with extras including deleted scenes, additional footage and multiple production featurettes.

In conclusion, be wary of seller information that is not complete; if your goal is to get the true American Tri-Star Blu ray release, make sure that is what you are ordering, otherwise you may very well end up with the alternate cover art Alliance films Canadian transfer instead, which is simply disappointing on more than just principal. Oh and seriously, there are plenty of more legitimate forums to post MOVIE REVIEWS, whether positive or negative, so let's try and actually give helpful product reviews instead of cry baby "oh I am trying to seem intelligent and display a weak form of wit by writing a jackhole review to live out my shattered dreams of being a critic and pretending my opinion matters" type reviews.

You have everything you need. Now...Fight!

this is the best video game/ to movie production I have seen better than Bloodrayne 2 if you have ever played SH 2 or 3 you will see characters and weapons used in the movie like the video game like static on Rose's cell phone, the steel pipe as a weapon Brook Haven hospital etc.. nothing from SH 4 in the movie great camera angles and done well with out being cheesy
favorite new movie in a long time

I received a call from my brother about this film. He was not quite sure what he had just seen. He thought it may have been great, but did not really trust his own judgement and asked me to see it with him again.
I am not a horror fan, nor have I ever played the games, but I must agree that this was one of the best psychological thrill rides into the depths of horror archetypes ever created.
It seems to be using the basics of dream interpretation of jungian psychology and creating disturbing and relentless images that will disorient and keep one thinking about the movie for weeks after.
Even though it is not altogether without flaws, there are some unnecessary explanations, stock dialog and over the top climatic gore - but what this movie excels at is bringing the viewer to a place of wonder and horror, where the demons that populate silent hill are our own.
It is the inner journey of overcoming fear and choosing sides when the division between good and evil are blurred that makes this movie unlike any other of the genre and worthy of 5 stars.

this is one of the few movies that has scared me. that says a lot because i don't scare easy. it was five big stars in my book. the acting was good, but the best part was silent hill and all it's demons and nightmares waiting in the wings. they were grotesque in a beautiful way. it was disturbing in some scenes, no doubt. but it was all done in a way that will make your skin literally crawl, and make your hair stand on end. this movie was wickedly evil. every time that siren went off you knew what was coming. the demons from the darkest corners of hell were coming. the game is good, but this was better, and it sure was about time. i honestly loved it, and it did creep me out no lie. guaranteed to make you squirm or look away, so watch it and you'll agree.

Ok, I'll try to be as unbiased when writing this review about this film as possible...
This is going to be very, very hard.
I have been a Silent Hill fan since the release of the first game on PS1 back in... geez, what was it, 1999? So naturally, I had very, very high expectations for this film, and after seeing Brotherhood of the Wolf (Christophe Gans's other film), I was sure that I would not be dissappointed, because what I saw in that movie was amazing cinematography (And I mean amazing), beautiful set designs, and great actors/acting. Plus, on top of the trailer for Silent Hill and the stills, I was sure this movie wouldn't suck.
And it didn't.
The thing that really makes this movie such a winner for me is that Gans and Roger Avary stuck very, very close to the source material, and both being fans of the game, managed to accurately capture the look, feel, and story of the games. The film is absolutely breathtakingly gorgeous. The acting has many mixed reviews, from people saying the acting was cheesy and unbelievable- but isn't the whole idea of the town with the monsters unbelievable (in a realists POV... I don't believe it couldn't happen, but that's just me...) It was grade A, IMO, and I was very impressed by Radha Mitchell and Jodelle Ferdland's chemistry as mother and daughter was believable. The rest of the cast did excellent work in their respective parts. The dialogue, while at some points having some stupid lines, was overall what you'd hear in the games and it therefore made it easier to believe that this wasn't just canon in the Silent Hill universe, that this was a genuine part of the Silent Hill mythology.
And the effects... wow. Only one of the monsters in the film was CG, and those were the cockroaches. Everything else was people in suits, and that was DEFINATELY the smartest decision for Gans to make. The monster designs are amazing, and Pyramid Head looks absolutely gorgeous. I just wish they'd explained his reason for being in the film, because he doesn't seem to have the same purpose as he did in Silent Hill 2. But that's beside the point.
And it's gory. Perfection.
Just go out and get this movie, and get the games while you're at it. You won't regret it.

Silent Hill was a video game originally. The story of the movie is different, but so complex on many levels, that you might be confused in the beginning and especially at the end. It's a film, which will keep your mind occupied for many weeks and gives you plenty religious stuff to think about.