Very good horror movie, some average dialogues keep it from being a Masterpiece

Rating: 8/10 (23 April 2006)

Admitedly, I have been waiting years for an horror movie to pack a scare/gore-punch like that. Squimish at heart, do not apply.
Oh, and gore-fans of pieces like Hostel, do not apply either. There is true gore here, but it feels much less gratuitous.
Last but not least, it probably is the best video game adaptation ever. As simple as that.
The story is fairly simple, but still powerful. The movie begins with us being acquainted with Rose (Radha Mitchell -Pitch Black- very good in this movie) and her daughter Sharon who are about to embark on a journey to Silent Hill, where the past of the little girl might be revealed. There, dark and unknown forces are waiting for them.
Christophe Gans (Crying Freeman, Brotherhood of the Wolves) produced a superb movie, graphically and directed masterfully. The acting, from Sean Bean to Jodelle Ferland is really good, especially if we must consider this film as a video game adaptation.
And this is where it hits. Not only does Mr Gans stays true to the atmosphere of the original art, he transcends it by making a wonderful movie. Some critics have panned the film for its video game feeling at times, and for the dialogues. I have to say, on the first point, that the feel of the movie is in that regard original, and goes from very eerie scenes (Rose walking in the town) to pure horror scenes where the director obviously did not want to try to please some "familly" target by backing off his original subject : a Horror video game.
Truth be told, this movie could have pretended to be placed on the same level of movies like The Ring or The Thing, but dialogues come in play. And they are pretty bad in some parts, unfortunately.
Now, they are not painfully- bad either, and I still enjoyed the movie very much, having waited a long time for an Horror movie to actually deliver.
Thank you, Mr Gans.