Thank God

Rating: 9/10 (21 April 2006)

It's not perfect, but Silent Hill is without any doubt the very best game-to-movie adaptation ever done. But more importantly than that, it's a damn fine movie on it's own terms, whether it's a "game movie" or not.
The film is very faithful to its source material while allowing the changes necessary to make it a successful film. Silent Hill is a very complex game, and the movie definitely gets the mythology and symbolism of Silent Hill just about perfectly. For those who want to take the movie at face value, I can imagine it might be a little confusing, although still satisfying. But this is a movie so full of concepts and symbolism that it demands to be discussed and thought about on a much deeper level. No matter what explanations are given, things are never what they seem in Silent Hill.
It doesn't so much scare as it does disturb. Instead of going for some cheap scares, it gnaws its way into your state of mind and fills you with so much tension that when it does explode, it's that much more devastating. There are some of really brutal parts of the movie, but the real horror is the tension in between, which are done masterfully. It's MUCH more about story and atmosphere than the run of the mill Hollywood splatter-fest that studios churn out these days. And what a story it is! Fans of the games can breathe a sigh of relief, it's an excellent movie. For the unfamiliar, Silent Hill is a grisly but very satisfying experience. Enjoy.