Great Film

Rating: 8/10 (28 January 2007)

Right off let me say that if you haven't played the games you're going to be a little lost. While the sets, the effects, the monsters, and the over-all feel of the movie is perhaps the best I've ever seen in a horror film, the plot, relationships of some of the characters is difficult to connect. And, I have to say; there wasn't enough of Pyramid Head. Hands down, PH is without question to most evil, cruel, and sick character in the history of cinema. He makes Freddy Kruger look like a choirboy. When Rose (R. Mitchell) first gets to Silent Hill the sequence of her walking through the alley in the dark is an excellent portrayal of the opening sequence in the first Silent Hill game. It is eerie beyond words. Other scenes looked remarkably like the games. My main complaint is the lack of direct confrontations between Rose and the monsters. A bit more exploring would have made it better as well. But, that said, there are many elements that gamers would like to see and there's no way to satisfy them all. Without question, when the town changes forms and seems to shed its "skin" it is a remarkable cinematic experience. I can't think of another film in which that occurs. Nor can I think of a more painful-looking treatment than having razor-edged barbed wire rammed through a person's body from the rectum to their head (which I could have lived without) as a punishment for heresy by the local garden-variety religious nut cases. I fast forward through that part. I really like is the way the move remains true to the feel of the games by using much of the same music, sound effects, and monsters. The air raid sirens still send a chill down my spine. In all I highly recommend this movie but not for children under 16.