25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Silent Hill - More Mystery Movie than Horror, September 8, 2006
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.
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40 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My Favorite Movie To Date, August 20, 2006
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!!
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
From the small screen to the big screen, and back, November 4, 2006
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.
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