Better than average horror movie, spoiler free comments

Rating: 6/10 (21 April 2006)

The movie takes us through the terrifying town of Silent Hill. The story is, generally, faithful to the video game and that is a wonderful change from video game and book adaptations. While there were some changes to the plot, and additional characters placed in, the underlying theme of the game was intact and the movie excels for it.
Silent Hill is a scary place and the special effects and pacing (generally) kept the tension and sense of bafflement high. My shoulders and neck are still tight from being so tense.
Were we just to follow the character of Rose as she searched for her daughter in this strange and terrible town, the movie would have been better than almost every other horror movie I've ever seen. Easily 8/10 stars.
However, we are ripped from our tension, horror, and wonderment repeatedly to track the events that befall Rose's husband, played by Sean Bean. Storywise, even though this part was tacked on after the fact, it works quite well. Cinematically, however, it is a total failure for the simple reason that it breaks the tension and destroys the pacing. The acting is quite fine, the story itself is quite fine, but the disruption to the main thread is unforgivable. I am extremely disappointed that this thread was added on. What it added to the story was insignificant when compared to what it took from the overall feel of the film.
Excellent work by the writer, director, special effects crew, composer, and all of the actors. Easy 8/10 but for the extraneous storyline.