A unique existential horror that suffers under Hollywood production

Rating: 9/10 (1 October 2006)

The Silent Hill game series is a rare gem in the survival-horror genre. It blends a rich tapestry of psychology, symbolism, history,pop culture, as well as ancient mysticism. Konami did an incredible job developing a game that is immensely engaging, eerie and disturbing.
The movie version is visually as stunning as the game, but it lacks soul, empathy and coherence. Christophe Gans has gone to great lengths in securing the right to this movie. I've read that he played the console games, and personally wrote a letter to Konami expressing his understanding and respect for the game. However, from the look of things he has not successfully translated the essence of the game, and instead went into a tangent to tell a rather different story.
In any other instances, I would have welcomed a new twist, different interpretations or additions to the game's lore. However, by turning the very core of the story upside down this has become a disappointing adaptation of an otherwise beautifully shot film.
SPOILERS
Here are the differences between the movie and the console games:
1. The main the protagonist is now a woman. The father figure who is desperately searching for his daughter (in the game) has been supplanted by a mother figure. Hollywood is once again conforming to the popular stereotype of the absent father who is unable to protect the wife/daughter character from harm. Subconsciously, the terrors of Silent Hill can also be interpreted as the representation of malevolent presence or the incompetence of the male characters.
This change of gender also helps to support the underlying message of the film. This is clearly stated at least twice in the movie when the character of Cybil Bennett and Rose Da Silva mention that 'Mother is god in the eyes of a child.' The fertility-goddess subtext is indeed inherent in some parts of the movie.
2. The Satanic cult in the first game is led by Dahlia Gillespie. She also raised Alessa Gillespie to bear the seed of Samael. The burning that Alessa sustained was a ritual that had gone awry, or as some game fans have suggested was intentionally done to create undying hatred within the child Alessa: a prerequisite condition for the unholy birth.
Throughout the original game and its sequels, the Satanic cult continues to thwart our heroes/heroines. It represents the twisted and evil part of humanity. The cult membership comprises of nurses, doctors, a geneticist and other lay people. They even produce and distribute addictive drugs to control/influence the town's population.
In the movie however, the cult has been changed into a witch-hunting pseudo-Christian church. This is the biggest and most damaging alteration in the film, which changes the core story of the game. In the movie, now we have an evil church versus an evil child, complemented by agnostic/atheist protagonists.
3. The unholy trinity of Samael, Alessa and Sharon. Due to the failed ritual in the first game, Alessa's body has become so badly burnt that she couldn't function like a normal human anymore. Only the evil presence within her keeps her from death. It is this same power that taps into the mystical force of Silent Hill, and converts its environment into a nightmarish Silent Hill, which is essentially a projection of Alessa's own suffering.
Dahlia reverted to alchemy and genetic engineering to clone Alessa's DNA and creates a doppelganger baby. This baby is later saved by a nurse and adopted by the Masons (Da Silvas) and named Cheryl (Sharon). The movie is a bit clumsy in describing how Sharon became adopted. And it is even more ambiguous in describing how the 'Darkness' appeared and 'possessed' Alessa.
4. The monsters have lost their symbolic meanings. Every single monster type in Silent Hill game series embodies a psychological trait of a character. The mannequin nurses symbolize James Sutherland's suppressed lust. The theme of the second game is guilt, and thus Pyramid Head is at once the representation of guilt and also the executioner of James's sin (of killing his wife). In the predominantly female cast of the film, many of these monsters have lost their symbolic meanings and relevance to the main characters. In the games, Alessa's dark power feeds on the game characters and makes flesh that which is buried within.
5. The omission of the talisman of Metatron and the foghorn of Samael. These are two tools that have been omitted because they don't serve much purpose in the non-interactive medium of film. In the game however, they are physical representations of the two opposing forces of good and evil. The foghorn of Samael is translated into the church's siren in the movie though. Its purpose is slightly different to that of the game's.
6. Inconsistent and improper use of music tracks. Akira Yamaoka composed four incredible soundtracks for the four games. Each soundtrack is catered to a specific chapter within the Silent Hill saga. The music pieces help convey emotions and mental states of the characters. They immerse a player into the right mood and help build an eerie atmosphere that is at once disturbing yet attractive.
The movie makes use of at least the first three soundtracks extensively. They are selected and scattered throughout the movie almost without any coherence to the progression of the story, nor any significance to the characters' development.
I do enjoy the visual of the movie and to be honest, Pyramid Head and Cybil Bennett are really well done in the movie. So if you consider the movie as a separate and unrelated entertainment piece, then you will enjoy this movie as you are treated to an rare existential horror with amazing cinematography and visual effects.