Beautiful imagery and chilling moments, but a weak plot.

Rating: 6/10 (24 April 2006)

Silent Hill was the best horror movie I've seen all year, but it could stand to be a bit better.
The good: The imagery was fantastic. Many moments were hauntingly graceful and beautiful, and then others can make you turn in your sleep with horror. The camera angles were fantastic. Many shots made you feel like you were in the scene about to fall into a great chasm, or burn to death on the rotting floor. The monsters were horrifyingly creepy and were done with stunning CG and make-up effects. The first scene with the monsters of Silent Hill had me screaming in terror. The movie touches on very primal fears such as a lack of faith, and losing a child, making a great chill factor throughout the film.
The bad: Though the creatures were terrifying, there were no moments that made you jump in your seat. It was all progressive fear, which can be nice as a change of pace, but not what people want from a horror film. Some of the dialog felt unnatural and corny. The 'cop' character was weakly developed and had a muttled personality. Sean Bean was constantly dropping his American accent, making for strange dialog. Also concerning Sean Bean, the character, 'Christopher', had no resolution; his part in the story pretty much felt completely useless. But the utterly most annoying thing with this film (spoiler) is that it has NO ENDING! The story progresses and starts its falling action, but many things are left unresolved. Your just about to get those final resolutions...and the movie's over. I'm sure there was something symbolic about the ending, but it was simply disappointing. After I was creeped out beyond belief, this horrible ending had me walking out of the theatre regretting spending nine dollars and over two hours of my life. I hope there is a sequel or something, because this film was just one long and scary lose end.