Odds are if you played the game, you will be entertained

Rating: 6/10 (22 April 2006)

It's hard to look at this movie and judge it. Do you look at it as an actual movie? A horror movie? An adaptation of a video game? Or a combination of those choices? I went to this with the anticipation that it would be phenomenal, amazing, etc. It fell well short of my expectation. There were a myriad of things wrong with this, mainly, Sean Bean's role...if his role was cut out, I feel the movie would have lost 20-30 minutes of time that made the movie seem just a little too long.
One of the parts where I was letdown, though this is probably my own fault, it was not scary. There were barely even any tense moments. I believe this is where the director failed. While some monsters creep-ed around the corner, I believe the tone was "I am so scared, I do NOT want to see what comes around the corner!" Although, I was just hoping it came around quicker. I had watched the trailer like a little fan boy over a dozen times, just hoping that this movie somehow freaked me out to where I wouldn't want to turn off the lights when I went to sleep. It failed in that area completely. Do not get me wrong, the whole movie was creepy, and during some of the very gory death scenes it was very eerie. Although it was nothing that honestly "scared" me. Once again, this could be my own fault for having such great expectations.
The monsters in the movie, while INCREDIBLY well done, were not in the movie NEAR enough. Each monster got a scene, and then onto the next one, just when you hope there would be more of your "favorite" one...too bad, you lost it; except for Red Pyramid. His on-screen time is still somewhere around...4 minutes...maximum.
It sounds as if I didn't like the movie, this is false. I did enjoy the movie, but mainly due to the fact, I played the games, I got their plot. So, I know what the director was going for. In a game, you, the character, run around and just try to find stuff, you get random clues and go there with little to no explanation. The problem is, this doesn't work in movies that well. Especially if you've never played the games, you will be wondering "Ok, now why did that picture just appear next to the Jeep? How did they really know to go to the school? Isn't that just a BIT to coincidental? Although if you have played the games (mainly the first) you will probably be thinking "Oh man! They are following the game almost perfectly!" The sets, the soundtrack, the ambiance, and once again the monsters were incredible. I'm not a fan of computer graphics permeating a movie. Although this is where you really needed it, mainly when the town is transformed by the darkness. It is amazing how it is done.
I believe that is the main difference between people who do and don't like it. If you haven't played the games, and don't know what the director was going for, don't see this movie. Odds are you won't like it.
The way I looked at this is from a horror/video game adaptation point. The plot was changed to something that reminded me of The Grudge a bit, and don't worry, I wouldn't call that a spoiler. It felt a little long, but during the movie, through most of this review has been pointing out its flaws...I WAS entertained by it. I might even see it again. I give it a 6 because a 5 is average, and this was a bit better than the average horror movie. If a sequel is to be made, hopefully they will throw in more recurring monsters, and take out needless side plots.