Best video game adaptation ever

Rating: 10/10 (30 April 2006)

I have gone to see Silent Hill three times so far and it keeps drawing me in. I have been a faithful visitor for a long time and to see the mirrors from game to movie are incredible. I have noticed a lot of bad reviews especially ones about how the movie wasn't scary enough. Well, guess what. That has never been the premise. Silent Hill (for me and the others I discuss it with) has always been a psychological journey. Yes, there are monsters, but they are there for a purpose. The most prominent issue with the game is the feeling of isolation. Now of course, you could not have Rose running around for two hours by herself. How the cult was brought in and helped to explain some of the history was brilliant. And the ending was classic to the games. It made you come to your own conclusion and want to see it again for more clues. I know some people were upset at changes but after all, anything that is transferred to screen gets a makeover. Even if it wasn't based on a video game, it could stand alone as a beautiful horror film. My only lament is that Pryamid Head was not on screen more. Casting him as the ultimate executioner was perfect. I did feel I was walking through Silent Hill during the movie. Scenery, monsters, music, characters, all flowed nicely. I really enjoyed the left, right, left, right sequence. All of us who have played remember doing that at three am trying to help James figure out where the hell he left Maria. I knew this movie was not going to be accepted by everyone but? That's just the way I like it. Like another reviewer said, if everyone liked it, it wouldn't be Silent Hill. I commend all involved and cannot wait for the DVD.
Addendum to my post written on Sept. 05, 2006: I have noticed quite a few people have assumed that all of the monsters were CGI. That is not true at all. I bought the DVD and had the privilege of watching the six part documentary where it is shown that the characters were actual people. Yes, there is some CGI, that couldn't be helped. But think of what was done before this. Aren't you glad that CGI exists? It always amuses me when people complain about special effects in a movie. Oh well, you can't please everyone. And who would want to try? It seemed to me that the cast and crew (from what I saw) put their heart and soul into this and it shows. When the right setting could not be found they built it. Does that sound slapdash to you? I was very impressed by the amount of detail..Although my one complaint with the DVD is the lack of special features. One can only hope for a Special Edition to come out around Christmas. But I stand by this original post above and I do look forward to another journey back to Silent Hill.