Good game adaptation

Rating: 10/10 (21 April 2006)

I rate this as a pretty good adaptation of the creepiness of the game, with lots of blood and gore and similar to keep the kiddies entertained. More than they've bargained for in some respects; I am sure there will be complaints. I wouldn't advise taking young children along for this one.
Even given the level of horror presented, I feel that the games were stronger in terms of psychological impact. They carry a weight that the film cannot. The games are actually worse in terms of their actual horrific content than the film is (though viewers who've not compared will find this hard to believe).
There are parts of this film that I wish they had been handled differently; At one point the film goes into soliloquy mode to explain things people who played the games already knew about the town of Silent Hill. I feel it interrupted the flow of the film; audiences should have been given a chance to figure it out on their own. One of the best parts of the game series was that so much of it was up to personal interpretation; "What just happened?" generates a different answer depending on who you asked.
The soundtrack to the film was good though it could have been lifted right out of any of the SH games. I'd have preferred something redone with an orchestral score, but that's just one viewer's gripe - your mileage will certainly vary, particularly if you haven't played the series itself.
Still, despite these minor failings, this is easily the best video game adaptation to date. It has some trouble standing on its own as a horror flick, though it certainly captures a large measure of the creepiness that Silent Hill is famous for. 7/10 (should be 6, but I'm a fan of the games).