Welcome to Silent Hill...

Rating: 7/10 (22 April 2006)

Silent Hill in all it's violent glory, has done something video game movies have been attempting to do for years. It somewhat successfully merges cinema with gaming, in an almost digestible fashion.... almost. But perceptive readers will re-read the above sentence and feel the underlying emphasis on possibilities, and sadly, the movie is not the epic I was hoping for. First off, for a horror movie, there were seldom scares, if any. Sure when the siren in the town of Silent Hill went off, your blood ran cold as you knew Hell was about to carve the town a new hole, but there were no moments of sheer fright. However, what the movie lacked in the scare department, it more than compensated with striking imagery and gore. Good god, this movie has images that will haunt you long after your viewing. When the town's walls begin to bleed and peel, it's imagery that is worth noting. But we all know pretty images ( or in this case, a bloody table of carnage delights) does not a good film make. Oddly enough, my biggest gripe with the movie wasn't the movie itself but the idiots who decided to see the movie on the opening night with me. But, this is a review, read my blog for further pissiness on the issue. This movie is... in a word... LONG! And not just a little, it's huge, and I am of the mind had some bits been cut, it would have sat more favorably with me. I loved the actors in this movie though, especially some hefty fright-work compliments of Rhada Mitchell, who not only strikes a compelling mix of the fright of her character in Silent Hill, but the overpowering strength of mother hood that imbues her character to move on even with Hell itself at her heels. Woot for credibility for a game film! This is not a film for everybody though. It charges at you with electric scenes of thrills, than comes to an almost screeching halt with story exposition. If it sounds like the architecture of a roller coaster, it's because it is. Sure the slow climb of a roller-coaster cart is needed to get to the top of a drop for the right speed to send you careening in loops that provide the real thrills, but in Silent Hill, the moments outside of the town just aren't that interesting. When the darkness invades the town, it throws so much at you, and then it's over. < blinks> Kinda anti-climatic. But that's the nature of this movie. If you want to be scared, this movie is not for you. This is more of a thriller as opposed to the straight advertised horror moniker. I, however, thoroughly enjoyed the movie. Because for once, I felt the director and people involved truly brought something legitimate to the table. This is definitely a good step in the right direction. Sadly though, Silent Hill evades greatness and sits above average, but below spectacular...