Silent Hill movie wasn't that bad.

[Gardenia]

Bear in mind that I haven't played any of the Silent Hill games, but I liked the town and much of the setting. However, the movie lacks finesse, and gives it all up on the first date. It just never feels interesting or scary. I would have preferred a little more focus on the "being alone"-feeling that Yahtzee keeps masturbating to in his review.
Then again, most horror films these days are cheap whores who will show you everything in the first 5 to 10 minutes.
I'm sorry, this turned into a rant, did it not?

 

[Cuddly Knife]

I thought the movie was good enough, especially considering that it's Hollywood's take on the game. It could've been worse, as in, anyone ever seen the Resident Evil movies, or Doom?

It's also not as bad as some random American developer watching the movie and then deciding to make a game off of it(which is what i assume they did because of how lame Homecoming is). Ugh.

 

[Random Argument Man]

The dialogue was complete shit. As for a video game movie, it was probably one of the best one...

To explain this statement: It was a little gem dust on huge turd.

It was bad. However, the movie made me interested in the Silent Hill franchise. So I guess there's a good thing for everything.

 

[Nautical Honors Society]

The only thing good about it was the soundtrack. I would actually pay for that soundtrack.

 

[DJShire]

It wasn't horrible, but as previously stated by so many, it's hard to get the same feeling you would while playing the game.

Now, I have read that the movie enemies that were reused from the games had their symbolism that worked in with the movie, of course, it could all be bollocks

Spoiler: grey children

They represent Alessa when she was burned alive, her pain and loneliness (them clawing at Rose was not an attempt to hurt her, but to get some attention, just like a child would)

Spoiler: lying figure

they represent Alessas hospitalization

Spoiler: nurses

they represent something Alessa cannot become, a mature woman with all the accompaniments, but because of the one nurse looking in on her with disgust and fright, she took away all of their eyes, and made it so that any time they move, they suffer

Spoiler: Pyramid Head

Alessa's incarnation of her "father" - a man unknown to her, wearing a mask that conceals his identity, an authoritative figure punishing those in Silent Hill that had punished her in the past

 

[esperandote]

we fanboys couldn't handle having our serie tampered. Now after analazing it more maturely i also think it is an excelent game movie and o good movie in general.

 

[Aura Guardian]

Nah, first one was in the cinema, thinking "this is gonna be great!!!!!" because the trailer somehow had had me believe that it was gonna be everything I could want from an SH movie. Was mildly bitter while going home from that one.

That sounds serious

Second time was after the bitterness had settled, to check if it was really as bad as it had seemed. I realised I was right within the first five minutes, rest of the movie was just me and my dad pissing about making stupid jokes.

And that's for laughs. HA. I was right.

Oh dear, I guess you're right, but that whole serious/for laughs business somehow sounded totally different in my head at first. Lack of sleep does funny stuff to my logic at times.

While we're on it. I actually know a guy who watched through it 9 times just to find a damn wheelchair, because we all agreed that there would have to be one. I'm pretty sure he sold the dvd, when he finally ended his quest, victoriously! But including a wheelchair for a splitsecond in a parking lot.. meh. That just seems like more fan-service to me.. But nice that there actually are parts of the film that they managed to keep "true".

Ah sleep.
9 times? I only saw it 3 times. (third being the HORRIBLE TV Edit.)

 

[matrix3509]

The only part I hated about it was the flashlights. OH GOD THE FLASHLIGHTS! [/caps]

If any of you have heard that super-high frequency/pitch thing whenever the flashlight shone directly at the camera, you know what I'm talking about.

 

[Leodiensian]

Why the hell was the lady and her daughter trapped in a mist even when they got home?

I've seen it a few times, and I believe the mist represents that she doesn't really 'escape' from Silent Hill - or, more accurately, the misty sub-dimension that was present in Silent Hill. There were effectively three versions of the town; first was the 'surface' world in which Sean Bean ran around, our mundane world. Then there was the misty version in which the cultists were trapped and our protagonist finds herself. Finally we have Rusty Hell-Dimension, which is where Pyramid Head and his crew chill out. The Mist and Rust worlds are Alyssa's creations, from her deal with the Devil.

These dimensions partially overlap (when Rose, in the mist world, runs past where Sean is standing in the real world, he feels her presence) but initially appear largely confined to Silent Hill, which in the Mist (and possibly Rust) worlds is seperated from the rest of the world by the Giant Ass Chasm. UNTIL, that is, Rose strikes a deal with Alyssa to compromise the Church. Then she still carries Alyssa's/The Devils' taint within her and hence can never truly leave the Mist world, because Alyssa is still with her. This also has the rather threatening implication that Rose and Alyssa have expanded the boundaries of the various dimensions to encompass more than just Silent Hill - the Giant Ass Chasm is no longer a barrier. It may be possible that, should further films be made, people outside of Silent Hill could fall prey to the Mist and Rust.

But, hey, that's just a theory.

As for my view on the film, I definitely enjoyed it as a whole. I was certainly a lot more forgiving of it than I am of a lot of films because I know that a) what makes a good videogame doesn't necessarily make a good film and b) horror can be hard to do seriously, especially when Western studios try to adapt Eastern horror. But I did enjoy it - I'm not a rabid fan of the series, I knew enough to recognise the nurses and Pyramid Head etc, but I was also savvy enough to know that while they weren't TECHNICALLY appropriate, they were fan favourites and most likely to draw bums to seats and, while people may rave about movies and games as art, they are also BUSINESS. It's a savvy business decision to put Pyramid Head and the Nurses in a Silent Hill product because they are the closest thing to true 'series staple' characters. And even with that cynical perspective, it was well done - Pyramid Head was suitably terrifying and the scene with the crowd of nurses was pulled off to brilliant effect. If anything, I'd have liked the Nurse scene to have gone on longer, drawn out the tense moments rather than surrender so quickly to the frantic flurry it became.

The dialogue was, I'll admit, the weak point but as a visual presentation it was stunningly atmospheric, the scenes were excellently paced and the action, when it came up, was highly satisfying and well executed. You could do a lot worse for horror films as a whole and as video game films go, it actually ranked pretty high in my books. Uwe Boll could learn a lot from it about how to effectively make a game movie.

 

[Hazy]

As a movie, it's complete, unintelligible, shite. The dialog was genuinely painful in places.

Furthermore, am I the only one that thought Sean Bean's scenes were completely pointless?
They were a major flow-breaker, if there ever was one.

Although that paint-peeling effect (Also featured in Homecoming) was incredibly F$(^ing awesome.

 

[G-Virus]

Okay, I don't know how to make the spoiler bar, so just know that this post has some stuff about the movie in it.

*****

I could go either way about the movie. One one hand (not the fan's hand) it was kind of sucky, because we are Americans, and as Americans, we only love violence, blood, gore, die die die. (Note how I'm generalizing myself into the "we" part; I will not deny that AMERICAN movies are best that way.) However, Silent Hill is based upon a psychological thriller, and as most of the elements in the movie are psychological, actually-think-about-it aspects, the Joe Schmoe American who probably hasn't picked up the game...ever...or hasn't seen movies like Donnie Darko or Pan's Labyrinth might get confused and probably turn this off after five minutes.

Now, on the other hand (yes, the fan's hand) this movie is amazing BECAUSE of all of the psychological elements to it (and because fangirls love seeing PH with no pants on. That's right, and people who've watched the special features on the DVD will agree with me, it is proven that the actor for Pyramid Head was not allowed to wear underwear during filming.) And all of what we've loved about the Silent Hill franchise is right in there - the Otherworld, the clueless heroes, the crazy person (you know who I'm talking about), and creepy monsters. Oh, and the siren.

Then again, like most people have pointed out already, many parts of the movie (like PH, for example) were unnecessary merely because they weren't SUPPOSED to be outside of their original context. So that may be a turn off for Silent Hill lovers.

My final say: I like the movie. I have problems with it, but it isn't as bad as ALONE IN THE DARK. That movie made me want to bleed on the inside.

 

[Xanadu84]

I liked the Silent Hill movie. I think that the problem people had with it was that it was made to be more grotesque and weirdly fascinating then actually scary. It was made more to make people feel uneasy and creeped out, rather then actually scared. Besides, its very impressive how as a movie, it broke the CGI monster trend, and the majority of the monsters were creative costuming. I watched the DVD extras, and I loved how the monsters, especially creepy, armless dude that spit tar out of his chest, were just done by a talented, flexible actor in a well crafted suit. Of course, the movie was made to be subjective and interpretive, not to mention heavily relying on atmosphere and a bit, "Artsy", so not everyone is going to like it. Personally, I can't name a better video game movie.

 

[FallenJellyDoughnut]

Pyramid head is just there for the fan service, and therefore is stupid

Pyramid head is James's alternate ego, the embodyment of all his problems, what the hell was he in the movie?! A fanwank is what he was.

 

[Neur0t0xin]

I thought the movie was good enough, especially considering that it's Hollywood's take on the game. It could've been worse, as in, anyone ever seen the Resident Evil movies, or Doom?

Personally, I disagree with the general concensus on the Resi and Doom movies sucking.

First off, Resident Evil. Who cares about the warped, mangled storyline, the 'we'll regard the canon when we want' and the in-places dodgy acting?
1) Milla Jovovich. 2) Fan service and pretty good references. 3) They were actually very well filmed. 4) Milla Jovovich.

Doom? The storyline was pretty shit if you're die-hard on the original (But people had the same complaints about the ball-crushingly atmospheric and fun Doom 3), the acting pretty average, but anyone who saw the trailer and thought anything else was going to come of it should hang their head in shame. It was pretty and it was everything I could expect. That is to say, cheesy B movie with some awesome scenes in it and a lot of entertainment behind it.

The Resi trilogy, Doom, and Silent Hill all did what they apparently set out to do, and that's entertain. If I for one wanted the games, I'd play the games. Now, go and point that vitriol the way it should be, people. That is to say, in a word, Boll.

 

[Hazy]

Pyramid head is just there for the fan service.

Correct.
Personally, I find continuity to be much more important than an appearance of everyone's favorite manifestation.

I mean, I find Harry Mason to be completely awesome, but you don't see me throwing him all over Silent Hill: Homecoming just to give the fans what they want.

[small]And on a side note: What the hell was up with what they pulled in Homecoming!?
Did they not take notes from the reception of the bloody movie...?[/small]

 

[Leodiensian]

As a movie, it's complete, unintelligible, shite. The dialog was genuinely painful in places.

Furthermore, am I the only one that thought Sean Bean's scenes were completely pointless?
They were a major flow-breaker, if there ever was one.

Although that paint-peeling effect (Also featured in Homecoming) was incredibly F$(^ing awesome.

Hey, they put him to better use than Oblivion did.

But I'm of mixed feelings about this; Sean Bean might have been who some people thought the 'classic' protagonist should be in a film like this and by rendering him more powerless in the face of this unknowable (and very female) evil, they at once make the threat more real and Rose, the ACTUAL protagonist, gets a boost because she is doing what he cannot. He was necessary to give us exposition, but on the other hand his scenes, being set outside of Silent Hill, detract from the combination of isolation and claustrophobia that comes from being stuck in a pocket dimension that hates you. "Meanwhile, in the place where nothing is wrong..." removes the menace from the audience.

Plus, think how much harder the fanboys would be raging if he turned up in the finale, knocked out Pyramid Head (that dirty Commie terrorist) with a single punch and saved everyone for a classic American Movie Finale, staring tearfully at the flag..