What we have here is a masterpiece of surrealistic survival horror, or another attempt at intelligent horror that falls under the weight of its own pretensions. A third option could put it in between the two extremes; it is up to you to decide. I've made my decision, although I am not sure I will be able to adequately defend my position. Defend - interesting choice of words, and one I chose on purpose.
Occasionally, a film comes around that connects with you on a level that sucks you in and traps you with a malicious intent. That intent is to make you like it beyond all reason. You may realize you are watching something that is somewhat less than good, but you are helpless in your enjoyment of said work. A recent example of a film's effect on me is Ultraviolet. Now, more to the point, another film has affected me in a similar, but far less pronounced manner.
Silent Hill is a film that eschews logic in favor of atmosphere, a film that sets out to put you into a nightmare. When you're trapped in a nightmare, logic has no place. I am aware that this movie was inspired by/based on a videogame series, but I claim ignorance of the source. As an adaptation, I am ill-prepared to comment, but that doesn't stop me from having some thoughts!
The film centers on Rose and her adopted daughter, Sharon. We learn that Sharon is sick with some unknown illness. She has a tendency to sleepwalk and talk about Silent Hill. It seems the key to her illness lies within the confines of the town, long since abandoned after a fire burned through it. Rose sneaks off with Sharon, leaving behind a rather upset husband, Chris.
The nightmare begins when Rose, with daughter in tow, turns off the main road and enters Silent Hill. The town is realized in all the shades of grey you can imagine; there is a layer of ash constantly falling, like a soft snow on the town. After a car crash, Sharon disappears. Rose sets out with a single-minded determination to find her. Along the way, she is joined by a cop who does not quite understand the gravity of the situation. I do not wish to continue with too much more description. Part of the joy I derived was watching as everything unfolded before me.
The town is incredible, a completely insulated nightmare. In this world, anything can and does happen with no explanation required. Sure, there is a plot at work here, and the exposition is at times clunky and not exactly clear, but it is always interesting. More interesting is the world of Silent Hill.
Article comments
1 - Steve C.
I can't agree -- I'm at the latter extreme mentioned at the outset of this review. This is like an Aphex Twin video stretched to twenty-five times its natural length, except without the good qualities.
2 - Victor Lana
I haven't seen the film yet, but I've been walking around town (NYC) and the posters for the film (little girl with no mouth) are freaking me out!
3 - William Wong
I would like to see it...it's a good review.
I guess however, maybe the people who had played Silent Hill 1-4 on the PS1 and PS2 might have a good appreciation of the movie?
Just an opinion.
4 - san francisco
This movie was a disappointment...
First it starts out interesting and while it does have some attention grabbing parts here and there, the ending is just ridiculous. It doesn't make sense and its just too silly...It seems like the way too advanced CG technology is taking away from the real horror and thrill that older scary movies used to bring...
5 - Daphne Babb
I completely agree. I've seen the movie twice and just keep getting more absorbed and ready to see it a third time. It was WELL done, as is this review. To address another comment, you really want to play the first game before you watch the movie. If you play the whole series thats a plus but the movie relates more to the first. MOST fans of the game loved the movie, so i guess you're right.
6 - Obed
i love this film. so intense
7 - Christian Guthermann
I loved the film, and I love this article, I totally agree with the fact that it is not a "jump scare movie" (interesting name for it) which I personally hate, it is more a psichological scare, and about the ending.
(DO NOT READ AFTER HERE IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE)
I was discussing with a friend after the second time I saw it, that maybe the dark side of Alessa actually exchanges herself with Sharon, in an attempt to get out of the limbo they are in, and so instead of leaving limbo, she merely leaves Silent Hill while keeping Rose in a limbo of her own. (Just a thought).
8 - Musclecolt
Actually the girl in the end is the full Sharon/Alessa.
I mean, While Sharon is a nice, polite and innocent, Alessa (the corpse) is all hate and fear. Therefore, at the end of the movie, the two girls just merge, since they where just two halves of the same person.
9 - sakura
I can't believe you referred to ultraviolet, as I share the exact same opinion! Although racking my brains post-watching Silent Hill as to what the plot was all about, I realised it didn't matter. Silent Hill is an extremely enjoyable experience and part of this enjoyment (for me) was actually trying to straighten out the creases of the plot in my own mind. A beautiful creation.
10 - silent one
Silent Hill can certainly defy Mortal Kombat as the best VG adaptation but it is far from being the great cinematographic masterpiece it could have been. A lot of horror and psychological movies are superior and it is sad to see that films like Jacob's Ladder and Twelve Monkeys are more "Silent hillish" than Gans's flick. The main problem is, instead on focusing on a solid story and putting references here and there, Gans does the opposite. He tries to put as much references as possible and links the whole in a more or less ambiguous manner. I cannot say however that he does not know what Silent Hill is.
However, I liked (not loved) this movie even if it is not going to mark a lot of minds and it will eventually be forgotten with time. For me the main positive thing is the absence of a Mary Sue, something that pissed me off a lot in Resident Evil and Tomb Raider. Of course there is Cybil but at least she got beaten up and expressed negative emotions (ie she does not go fighting like if she was doing her shopping and she does show stressful behavior)
Gans said he got older since Le pacte des loups (which I found to be more mature). IMO, he is still a kid. He seems to have focused more on the sentence " I'm putting this because fans will love it" than on the making of a movie. Running 3/4 of the movie and resolving clues might be interesting in a VG. In a movie, we need a story and character development. Most of the critics agree on a point. Silent Hill has beautiful images and camera angles. I wouldn't be surprised if Dan Laustsen or Carol Spier got nominated for an award. However, if most of the critics say they don't understand the sotry, it is because the dialogue and the editing do not offer that much to allow the moviegoer to care enough for the characters. And a Silent Hill with an average story hurts. And it hurts a lot.
Despite it all, 7/10. I can discuss this movie negatively for hours but there is that je ne sais quoi that made this movie entertaining to my eyes. If there is a 2-disc DVD coming up in 2007, I'd probably buy it.
11 - Telly
this is a great movie, i am not a movie chick and never had any favorites but now i do but can someone explain why, when rose left silent hill, everything was still ashy in her scenes and why her husband couldnot see them, the car etc.?