Finally a good video game to movie translation!

Rating: 8/10 (22 April 2006)

Let me start by saying that while I am a fan of video games, I have never played the Silent Hill game. Regardless, I found Silent Hill (the movie) to be quite entertaining, and well worth the price of my matinée' admission ticket.
French director Christophe Gans (Brotherhood of the Wolf) delivers once again! After wading through years of good video games turned into bad movies we are finally rewarded with SH.
Don't get me wrong. SH does have it's fair share of hiccups (most notably some moments of stale acting and/or weak writing), but on the whole these things did not ruin the movie for me, by any means. I may be in the minority on this, however, for the three friends that accompanied me to the flick commented that it did have a tendency to bother them.
SH has a very stop-and-go flow to it, which felt almost like 'levels' in a game, and much (if not all) of the action was very video game esquire. I feel this was deliberate and added to the whole experience but it may bother many movie-goers, especially those who don't play video games.
Now, with those minor complaints out of the way let's get to the good stuff.
Gans gives the audience amazing visuals which includes amazing sets, creative and interesting (and sometimes dizzying) camera-work, and beautiful/horrifying makeup and CGI effects. Nothing lacking in this department at all!
The action in SH is quite intense and generally very nightmarish. There is a handful of jumps, a healthy amount of gore, and a whole lot of creepiness. Trust me, you'll get excited every time Gans let's you know the action is coming (which he does through use of a cool little effect, which felt almost like a 'loading screen' but much more exciting). More than once I found myself laughing out loud in moments of pure joy at the horror that was on screen. It was a blast!
By far though, my favorite element of SH was the fantastic sound design! Your ears will not be disappointed! Chilling screams, whining metallic screeches, and of course the unearthly creature noises. From what I understand sound was very important to the success of the SH game and this is definitely reflected in the film. SH delivers big time in the sound department. I was blown away.
I give this movie two thumbs up. Despite it's flaws, it still beats 95% of the horror I have seen in the past few years. Go with some friends, and without too many expectations and I guarantee you'll have a blast. If nothing else, it is worth the price of admission just to witness this one great scene (once you see the movie you'll know which scene I am talking about!) Kudos Christophe Gans! I loved Brotherhood of the Wolf, and I loved Silent Hill. I am eagerly awaiting his next project. Go see Silent Hill! Pyramidhead rules!