It wasn't perfect but it's not a huge disappointment

Rating: 6/10 (17 January 2015)

The Silent Hill video game series has become a household name in its ability to captivate audiences with its symbolism, characterization, dark and at times gruesome subject matter, interesting and complex monster designs, among other things.
This film is a loose adaption of Silent Hill 2, with some major changes present including the main character being gender-swapped and the cult's antics being in the forefront of the movie (I believe you are shown a bit more in Silent Hill and Silent Hill 3 than Silent Hill 2, the latter being more of a "this is what happened before the game takes place" where the former two are occurring as you play).
Now, knowing perfectly well what occurs in the games, the scenes felt a little...short at times, not stilted exactly, but a few extra seconds, a bit...more in some scenes could have made it seem more fluid. Now to me the story and execution of said story deserves perhaps 5 stars, but the scenery and sets and CGI warrant an extra star simply because how raw and absolutely life-like it all looked. The abandoned and rotting buildings *look* abandoned and rotting and not something..kitschy or overly dramatic. The wheezy clunking of the rusty machinery in the Other World were artfully recreated in the film and while not exactly *pleasant* to the eye in a traditional sense, were still gratifying to see on screen. There's something satisfying in this odd disintegrating, stripped-away mechanical heart of an alternate universe that is blanketed over by a somber 'reality'.
The soundtrack was beautiful and hit all the right moments, adding to the atmosphere and never sticking its head out too much that I didn't focus what was playing out.
I really have nothing to say on the acting. It wasn't bad. James Sunderland of the Silent Hill 2 video game was disjointed and lifeless, and that would have made for a pretty bad character in a movie, so his gender bent stand-in Rose played the part of a concerned and yet level-headed mother very well.
I will say that I was both saddened and frustrated by the ending. Aaaagh, why couldn't they be reunited?! Despite the husband's limited screen time, I still was hoping that the family would join up again. It's not fair. Damn you, Silent Hill!
If you're a fan of the series, don't be too disappointed. The video game script and storyline wouldn't have been able to be translated effectively onto the big screen, please don't delude yourself into thinking otherwise. While I think some bits were sort of "You didn't really need that" (Pyramid Head, for example, and the over-the-top death scenes in the finale) overall the film promotes a sort of underlying dread within the viewer while titillating the eye with the visuals of the Other World and delighting the ear with the moody and varied soundtrack. It isn't hard to follow if you're completely new to the series, but the one-off characters such as Pyramid Head will probably make you want to research more about the franchise and learn the more intricate story that can be found in the video games.