Silent Hill impressions

[Necronopticous]

Well, the movie is less than half a day away and as usual the first reviews are popping up all over the Internet. Of the 4 or so I've seen so far it hasn't been called anything worse than "good." As a huge dork, I am incredibly, incredibly excited to see Silent Hill tomorrow. I am finding it difficult to concentrate or think about anything else at this point.

I have a really good feeling that tomorrow geek history will be changed forever. A good live-action videogame movie...I never thought I'd see the day.

[mega_tonberry]

I know Im going to see it. I've generally heard mixed reviews about it. All the critics could call it the biggest flop in history and I'd still see it though.

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

Although I am almost completely uneducated when it comes to all things Silent Hill, I think it's lame that they changed the main characters's sex from what it was in the game just because it's trendy for horror film protagonists/victims to be blonde white chix.

[Ashley Schovitz]

How were the games?

[Jack]

Actually (thinking about it), changing the sex of the character actually streamlines the plot a little. Having Harry as the protagonist means having dealing with the death of his wife, and while this stresses his need for Cheryl (His last connection to his wife) it adds extra stuff to the complex script.

Also, surely its scarier seeing a "weak" women shoved into the depths of hell? Remember, they're making the films for EVERYONE, not just those (like me) who are familiar of the films. Men are typically seen as being able to cope better. Think of those Regular-Joe-Becomes-Kick-Ass films that are out there. Having a women is scarier.

Consider that the only reason Sean Bean's character is there is to add a male element. The whole 1st one is a subversion of the mother-child bond. To stress that, why not have the mother as the protagonist? having a man as this means he becomes a watcher of such a twisted thing, wheras in this, the protagonist IS part of this sick plan...

(Hey, that was spoiler free Kawaii Ryûkishi!!)

[Pure Strife]

Going to see it tommorrow. Should be fun, it's looking pretty good. And if not, I'm going with a chick anyway so it's all good.

[Necronopticous]

Changing the gender of the protagonist experiencing the dimensions of Silent Hill doesn't really make a difference...If you play through the first game, which I highly recommend, I think you will agree. Although the film is supposed to be an option of the first Silent Hill game, Gans is changing many specific details. The reason why this is okay is because he is not changing the story, only details on which the story takes place. He understands what has been wrong with live action videogame options up until this point. (e.g. He's not changing the demons of Doom into mutated humans.) From what I've heard and know about the movie I am completely satisfied with his decisions, and I trust his appreciation for the games and desire to bring something faithful to the table. I believe that he truly knows what he's doing. I mean, come on...who would argue that putting Red Pyramid Thing in the film was a bad idea?

[dirkdirden]

when I was 14 I played that game, I lived in a very old and very run down house it was the scarry house on the block. Even though I was 14 I got so scarred playing that game.

I think if the movie resembles the game in the slightest I will get rescared again....hopely

antisipatoin level for me is at a 9/10.

[Yamaneko]

I'm going tomorrow to see it.

[Zell's Fists of Fury]

I'm excited!
I hope it doesn't suck!

[Leeza]

As usual, it won't be in our town for at least another month...if ever. But I am looking forward to seeing it, even if it will end up being on DVD. Although I don't like the fact that they have changed the lead role from male to female. The only reason they're doing it, in my opinion, is because <i>it's trendy for horror film protagonists/victims to be blonde white chix.</i> - as stated by Kishi and that sucks.

[TheAbominatrix]

Poor Leeza, having to wait even longer ;_;

I'll probably go see this eventually. I'm interested, but not horridly excited or anything. I never got to actually play the first game, and I wasnt too thrilled by the one I did play (Silent Hill 2), but the movie does look neat so I'll go check it out if word of mouth is decent.

[Angel Heart]

I've seen screenshots of it and it looks good. RE and FF movies were Ok, so Silent Hill should be as well, it's got a lot of spooky moments it can take from the games. I just hope it dosen't have a 18 certificate, i could probably get in if it's a 15. :p

[Azure Chrysanthemum]

While I won't be seeing it, as I dislike the genre, I am nonetheless glad for the fact that it is being made, as it seems to be a faithful and well-done recreation of a game and could potentially change the way people look at video game movies for the better.

[DeathKnight]

I bought the first Silent Hill game back in 1999 and I never thought it'd have a movie! I'm proud of this game, very proud:D :up:

KONAMI!!!!! The future dominator of the world!:tonberry:

I just hope it's a good movie.

[Dreddz]

I just saw it. Wasnt that thrilled afterwards. Some scenes were a little OTT and I got pretty bored of that. Acting was pretty poor :(
And Pyramid Head didnt really do anthing great.
Still, it was pretty cool in some places. You can see the people who made this movie have played the games. Unlike Uwe Boll who has never played a game in his life.

[edczxcvbnm]

I heard it got the R rating for good reasons...such as not cutting the camera away when something ultra gory is about to happen. They don't cut away. They show it :D

I hope it is good but since they did not screen it for reviewers, I question if it is a bad movie and didn't want it to get hammered with bad impressions before this weekend.

[~SapphireStar~]

Im annoyed cause Dan said we would be going tonight to see it. But weve had a look at our finances and we havent got any cash till our loans appear on Monday so its Monday nights showing for us :(

[Pure Strife]

Saw it today. It was freakin sweet. Gory, creepy, and generally pretty twisted. Best of all the two heroines weren't super-heroes, they never really turned around and went Bruce Lee like Milla in RE, they were pretty believeable protagonists. Story was awesome. Yeah, there were a couple of cheesy lines, but mainly it was all good.

4/5

[a nirvana fan]

I hope its not going to be like Resident Evil...the games are great but the films suck. I have mixed feelings towards the Silent Hill film simply because I have a feeling it could be utter rubbish or it could be amazingly amazing but the internet reviews i've read, 50% of them are good and 50% say its really pathetic and never should be made into a film but who knows? Ive just gotta go see it:D

[Zell's Fists of Fury]

I saw it.
I loved it.
Yes, it could have been better, but fuck, man. It could have been a whole lots worse.

I went into the theater with pretty high expectations, Silent Hill being my all-time favorite games. I am very satisfied with the result. THe movie had all the creepiness and craziness of the game. THere were some slow parts and horrid acting, particularly by the detective, but those were forgivable. The entire movie was amazing. I want to see it again.
And again.
And again.

They didn't stray too much from the story in the games which rocked.
And goddamn, man.
It was just awesome.
SDjnflain

[theundeadhero]

I just came home from seeing it. The first half seemed pretty slow and boring to me, but the xecond hald picked up a whole lot. It might just be because of the whole witch thing that I have a natural curiousity for though. It definately deserves it's R rating for the bloddy gore scenes which were pretty cool I thought. The only thing about it though is that movies don't come near to capturing the creepiness you get when playing games like that.

[Seifer]

And Pyramid Head didnt really do anthing great.

You've got to be kidding me...


Anyway, I think this was the best video game adaptation ever. Sure, it doesn't top the games, but it was still an excellent movie.

[Jack]

Changing the gender of the protagonist experiencing the dimensions of Silent Hill doesn't really make a difference...If you play through the first game, which I highly recommend, I think you will agree. Although the film is supposed to be an option of the first Silent Hill game, Gans is changing many specific details. The reason why this is okay is because he is not changing the story, only details on which the story takes place.

I've watched the game on many a occassion (I actually hate playing games in the Survival Horror genre) but my Dad and my sister will start a game and I love watching it. Hence why I was looking forward to the movie. The plot is a subversion on mother/daughter relationships. I simply said it made it easier for those who'd never seen Silent Hill or played the games to understand. In a game, you get hours to let plot deatils trickle through, to let the world swallow you whole...
In a film you get 1.5-3hrs to capture your audience. By removing you following a male, it removes the "Dead Wife" thing.
It still leaves VERY important details, and doesn't make a large difference to the plot. It keeps to the videogame. Something I approve.


Also, surely its scarier seeing a "weak" women shoved into the depths of hell? Remember, they're making the films for EVERYONE, not just those (like me) who are familiar of the films. Men are typically seen as being able to cope better. Think of those Regular-Joe-Becomes-Kick-Ass films that are out there. Having a women is scarier.

See? Simply, who is less likely to turn into a kick ass protagonsist:
Brad Pitt? or Jennifer Aniston?

I'm seeing it next week. Glad to hear positive opinion...Encouraging.
(Especially encouraging to those who have seen a Uwe Boll film...)

[Marshall Banana]

To be honest, I haven't played through any of the games, so I can't really judge how well it was adapted, and I'm still not sure if I like it or not, but I was somewhat disappointed. I have played about 30-40 minutes of the Silent Hill 2 before, and that alone creeped me out. This movie hardly did, except for maybe the scenes with Pyramid Head and those freaky nurses, because Pyramid Head is one heck of a scary guy. Quite a few parts made me laugh, actually.

But I guess that's my only complaint! I would have more to say about it if I had played through the first, or any of the games, really, but I'm such a coward. Oh, well. Maybe one day! XD

I liked the ending a lot, though!

[Yamaneko]

Wow, this movie sucked. Terrible terrible (did I mention terrible) dialogue. I felt nothing for the characters. The action was limited. They only showed Pyramid Head twice, and they explained everything (something that the games don't do), yet I came out knowing less and caring even less. Why did they waste time with the character of Sean Bean? I wished they would have spent more time in the rust world. The special effects were cool. My main gripe, though, was the characters and writing. It was just dumb. I almost laughed out loud (a lot of people in the theater were) during some of the scenes. I went in with high expectations, but came out remembering that all video game movies so far haven't been good. I think I'll stick to the games.

[Miriel]

I hope it is good but since they did not screen it for reviewers, I question if it is a bad movie and didn't want it to get hammered with bad impressions before this weekend.
Not screening it for critics prior to release is NEVER a good sign for a movie. If critics aren't allowed to screen and review the movies, you can bet that there's something wrong with the movie itself and not only that, but the makers and distributors of the movie are aware of the problems as well.

[Shiny]

I just went to go see it and I must see it's exatcly what I expected. What I love most is how accurate it was (besides from some of the major characters changing) it filled alot of plot holes Silent Hill left me while playing it. I was never exactly sure where Harry went after Silent Hill and now I know that henever actually left the alternate dimension which would explain why he gets killed in the alternate world in Silent Hill 3. I brought someone with me who knew nothing about Silent Hill then when they saw it they were like wow...that was deep. The ending got to them the most. I guess they weren't suspecting it. Pyramid Head is an obvious notable mention as well as the nurses and demon children. However, they weren't seen in the movie that much. They could have given more movie time to alot of the monsters. I also thought having thefinal boss as the final boss of Silent Hill 2 was great. I was always creeped out but that one the most. Compared to most movie games this one is definately better. It's a decent movie, but not that scary...but I'm biased because I know about the games. Yet, coming from someone who hasn't played any of them, they were shocked and afraid quite a few times. Oh, and I liked how they used the monster from SH3 I think and gave him a background story. I always wondered why he was tied in the bathroom like that. I loved how they used actual music from the game and used my favorite song "You're Not Here" in the beginning of the end credits. Yay! I reccomend this movie to non-Silent Hill fans who enjoy a good scare, or Silent Hil fanatics who can appreciate the fact that nothing is perfect yet it can be pretty close.

P.S. The only good actor was Sean Bean, but he didn't even play that big of a role. However, like most horror films the acting can come off as cheesy. Especially the actress that plays Cybil. Her movements were very exagerrated at times.

[Shoeberto]

I wouldn't call it a waste, but I just, I dunno, didn't come out impressed. They pulled off the environments and monsters and story really close to the games and stuff, but I guess I just didn't feel it. Maybe it's the fact that the games immerse you into this world when you play them versus just watching people play out the roles. I think the disconnection there is what really made me not enjoy it as much - which isn't at all the fault of the film makers, it's just the difference in the mediums.

[BatChao]

Holy crap, that movie ruled so much butt, it was unbelievable. I can't believe how much like the game it was. CRAZY! I felt like I was totally watching the game! HAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!! It was just like it! Lots of static and fog! Best game movie EVER!

[dirkdirden]

I'm going to the late show as soon I get off work.

I will proably hate it considering I hate most movies becuase most movies are utter crap.

But I like the game so much I have to watch the movie.

[Avarice-ness]

I'm going to go see it on sunday. :)

[Lychon]

Well, the movie is less than half a day away and as usual the first reviews are popping up all over the Internet. Of the 4 or so I've seen so far it hasn't been called anything worse than "good." As a huge dork, I am incredibly, incredibly excited to see Silent Hill tomorrow. I am finding it difficult to concentrate or think about anything else at this point.

I have a really good feeling that tomorrow geek history will be changed forever. A good live-action videogame movie...I never thought I'd see the day.

Umm...I take it you never saw Mortal Kombat, the greatest video game to movie adaptation ever made?

-LYCHON

[Necronopticous]

I just got back from seeing the movie, and if you've talked to me at all in the past week I'm sure you know just how excited I have been. What was my reaction? Well, I had lots of them. I will say that this is the only video game movie I have ever seen that genuinely gave me the specific feeling that I got when I played through the source material.

If there is one thing that Gans really accomplished with Silent Hill, it is assuredly his understanding of the subtle and specific details of not only the game's story and material but the feeling of experiencing that material as well. As I watched the film there were numerous parts that definately gave me a warm feeling of satisfaction due to this understanding. I think my favorite scene in the entire movie was when Rose was searching the main office of the school building. I could almost see the text coming up any second "There are lots of papers scattered here, but none of them look particularly important." It's a scene I'm sure most people will immediately forget about, and so were most of the other scenes I thought were incredibly special.

I am happy to be able to say that Silent Hill was truly a good, faithful video game movie, unfortunately with the damage that has been done to the genre at the hands of people like Uwe Bowl that isn't really saying much. The movie was not perfect, and it definately suffered from many problems.

One of the main problems, as much as I hate to agree with the unsatisfiable fanboys, was the inclusion and focus on the external story happening outside of the town simultaneously. I wasn't initially bothered by the idea of Gans bringing the background of the game's story to the foreground. Honestly, I really saw eye-to-eye with him when he talked about how it would be necessary for the audience to get any understanding of the story. As the film progressed, however, it became increasingly obvious to me that it wasn't necessary at all and really detracted from the setting and feeling it worked so hard to create in the first place. Rose gets practically the whole story told to her in Brookhaven Hospital toward the climax anyway, and all Chris really does is get himself into trouble and get sent home. Unfortunately for us he takes numerous cuts away from the immersive dimensions of Silent Hill to do so.

The other problems were mainly minor and forgivable. Not enough Red Pyramid Thing, a little too much explanation, etc.

Overall I went in with extremely high hopes and expectations and managed to come out satisfied so I can honestly say I am happy with the way it came out. I love the Silent Hill series and I think Gans did as good a job as anyone could have done adapting it.

[Shoeberto]

Did anyone else think the CG wasn't quite up to par?

Seeing the baby things attack in the beginning, all the way up through the light/dark transitions just didn't seem as spectacular as they could've been. It's a minor complaint, I know, but still.

[Necronopticous]

The CG wasn't all that great, luckily most all of the monsters were costumes which I thought looked excellent.

[Nick Schovitz]

I hope its not going to be like Resident Evil...the games are great but the films suck.
Huh, I liked Resident Evil Apocalypse anyway, I'm taking a chance at it, I'm going to see it tonight.

[Yamaneko]

I'll agree that the atmosphere was done right, and I agree that the games (especially 1 and 2) have cheesy dialogue, but I still can't get over the fact that they could have done much much more with this movie in terms of the writing. There really were some cringe-worthy parts, in particular when the demon was explaining everything to Rose. There should have been a lot less talking in the movie.

[Giga Guess]

Umm...I take it you never saw Mortal Kombat, the greatest video game to movie adaptation ever made?

-LYCHON



Eeeeeh....it was a good way to blow a couple of hours, nothing more.

[~SapphireStar~]

Just come back from watching it and I wasnt dissapointed! I loved it, every last minute of it. The monsters were superb, specially Pyramid Head! I was so happy when I heard the delightful scrapping sound I didnt like the audience though, they laughed when Rose crashed ... I fail to see how that was amusing ...

And people looked at me as we were leaving cause I was singing along to the ending credits! It was great for SH fans, but I think nonplayers may not have a clue unless they have researched the film before seeing it. Im still shaking now, the loud noises did upset me though, I havent been to a cinema in a while and not use to really loud noises, specially screams.

I was upset with what happened to Cybil. It was ... amazing. I would see it again because it did shock me and made me think back to when I had played the games. Hollywood has done well here, just brilliant! It didnt scare me, more shock then anything, specially with Anns death .. I wont be sleeping well tonight ... love you PH :D

[Madame Adequate]

I didn't go in with terribly high expectations - I wasn't expecting Shakespeare, I was just hoping for not Uwe Boll, and I'm happy to say I got a fairly decent movie, if nothing I'd go terribly out of my way for.

I loved the first half. The first half scared the <img src="/xxx.gif"><img src="/xxx.gif"><img src="/xxx.gif"><img src="/xxx.gif"> out of me. It was perfectly done, and as I've said elsewhere, the scariest movie I've seen which wasn't Ringu or zombies (Which are just inherently fucking scary to me.) The second half went downhill for me... I just lost interest, and I didn't feel like there was much tension. In town, and in the school before things go dark, I was terrified - descending the staircase with the air-raid siren, and everything going dark? Exceptionally done. But afterwards, eeeh, just kind of lost the scariness.

The denoumant wasn't well-done, that would be my main problem though - no problem with it existing, I just think it could have been built up to differently and required less of a monologue.

For reference, I've played most of SH1, and a little of SH2.

Edit: I think the sfx and such worked really well though.

[Itsunari 2000]

I will go see it. Preferrably with a girl with weak-nerves, meaning she will instinctively cower to my robust male presence with squeals of horror I will gladly silence with my reassuring grip and easy smile.

[Nick Schovitz]

Oh it wasn't that scary good probably a 6 or 7/10, needs more gore and scary stuff.

I've never played the games though.

[Germ Hamee]

The most faithful video game adaption ever. Period.

I haven't acted that fan boyish in YEARS.

[dirkdirden]

UUUUmmmmm have any of you who watched this movie even played the first game, becuase if you did you should have seen that this wasn't the same story as silent hill the game, they didn't change the main charactor.

The movie is a prequel to the first game. In the first game you start out as the husband in silent hill looking for his wife.

In the movie it shows how His wife got in silent hill. and at the end of the movie he never finds his wife becuase they are in different Realms.

now for the review of the movie.

Graphics - "10"

Plot - If you have played the game and UNDERSTAND what is happening the plot explains a lot so I give it an "8"

Acting. the worst possable "0"

so that makes an total score of 6 out of 10

[Seifer]

UUUUmmmmm have any of you who watched this movie even played the first game, becuase if you did you should have seen that this wasn't the same story as silent hill the game, they didn't change the main charactor.

The movie is a prequel to the first game. In the first game you start out as the husband in silent hill looking for his wife.

In the movie it shows how His wife got in silent hill. and at the end of the movie he never finds his wife becuase they are in different Realms.

Actually, the movie wasn't a prequel. I'll say I've played all the games for credibility purposes: The first one is the one this story is based on. Harry Mason crashes his car, loses his daughter, meets Cybil, Lisa, Dahlia, etc...Silent Hill 2 revolves around James Sunderland who gets a letter from his dead wife, Mary. Not related to the first Silent Hill. In Silent Hill 3, the main character is Heather...to say more than that would be a spoiler, and I'm sure some people haven't played the game, but I will say it ties into the first game. Silent Hill 4, namely, The Room, focuses on a young man named Henry Townshend who gets trapped in his aparament from the inside. Probably the freakiest Silent Hill since it's so easy to relate to (Yeah, quite a few people live in apartments. Not only that, but Henry was pretty much just minding his own business, living somewhere, and one day he wakes up to find that there's chains on his door. I felt more bad for him than any of the other protagonists.) Incendentally, The Room gets more bad wrap than it should because it's loosely related to Silent Hill itself, but people still refuse to admit it's a good game.

That's the brief summary of the games. There's not really any prequel business going on here.

[Sephex]

Here are my impressions pulled from my myspace blog.

*******************

Sure, the acting was bad at parts...but everything else was awesome. They nailed the atmosphere and the mood perfectly. Even though they changed stuff around (the movie was based off of the first plot of the game), they were very faithful to the core plot. I loved the fact that they used music from the games for the majority of the time. If you are any fan of Silent Hill, go see it. Hell, I even talked to a couple of non-gamers who loved it. Best video game movie ever.

[Necronopticous]

People keep harping on the acting, especially of those characters who Rose and Cybil meet while in Silent Hill. The dialogue and direction these characters were given would have made it impossible to be any other way, Gans and Avary were fully aware of what they were doing giving this direction because that's exactly how those characters should have acted. In Silent Hill no one ever acts or reacts the way they should to the strange and unbelievable characters they meet. In fact, that's a big theme of the game, think about Eddie of Silent Hill 2. Personally, i was charmed by the faithful weird and unbelievable dialogue and I thought it added to the "Silent Hill" feeling.

[Lychon]

Eeeeeh....it was a good way to blow a couple of hours, nothing more.

Not for me. The Mortal Kombat movie rocked my world.

As for Silent Hill, I just saw it. Despite some cheesy dialogue and acting, the movie was entertaining and fun to watch...plus the emphasis on darkness winning over the light was extremely seductive :meditate: .

-LYCHON

[dirkdirden]

it would be better if it were a prequl becuase the end of the movie is almost exactly the start of the first game. his wife is missing so he go into silent hill looking for her.

and since its not a prequl changeing the main charactor was a dumb idea.

and as for the CG it was acctually very good. you proably didn't notice it very much but that evil little girl was all CG. I didn't notice at first but I saw it after she huged her and went into her body, then from that point on I could tell she was CG.

[~SapphireStar~]

The movie is a prequel to the first game. In the first game you start out as the husband in silent hill looking for his wife.
Harry goes searching for his daughter in SH 1 because they have an accident and she runs off. Harrys wife died, James (SH2) went to SH to find his wife Mary, who is "dead."

[Zell's Fists of Fury]

it would be better if it were a prequl becuase the end of the movie is almost exactly the start of the first game. his wife is missing so he go into silent hill looking for her.

and since its not a prequl changeing the main charactor was a dumb idea.

and as for the CG it was acctually very good. you proably didn't notice it very much but that evil little girl was all CG. I didn't notice at first but I saw it after she huged her and went into her body, then from that point on I could tell she was CG.
Boy, you have no idea what you're talking about.

[Slothy]

it would be better if it were a prequl becuase the end of the movie is almost exactly the start of the first game. his wife is missing so he go into silent hill looking for her.

That's not even remotely like the beginning of the first game. In the first game, Harry is going to Silent Hill with his daughter Cheryl (on vacation if I'm not mistaken) and crashes his car, waking up later to find Cheryl missing. He spends the rest of the game going through hell trying to find her.

The second game is closer to what you describe, but even then you're still off in that it's about James who goes to Silent Hill after he gets a leter from his wife to meet him there. Oh yeah, and she's been dead for years.

Have you played the games, or played them recently?

as for peoples comments on the acting, I've yet to see it but I look at it like this: If I could enjoy the Revenge of the Sith, then I think I can live with the acting in anything so long as there are other redeeming qualities (which let's face it, were few and far between at times in Revenge of the Sith).

[Giga Guess]

The most faithful video game adaption ever. Period.

I haven't acted that fan boyish in YEARS.


And if you give it the thumbs up, I'm dragging Glenn along with me tonight...:p

[Sephex]

Just another thing here...I can't get over how well done the first dark world scene was. It seriously creeped the hell out of me.

[Shoeberto]

People keep harping on the acting, especially of those characters who Rose and Cybil meet while in Silent Hill. The dialogue and direction these characters were given would have made it impossible to be any other way, Gans and Avary were fully aware of what they were doing giving this direction because that's exactly how those characters should have acted. In Silent Hill no one ever acts or reacts the way they should to the strange and unbelievable characters they meet. In fact, that's a big theme of the game, think about Eddie of Silent Hill 2. Personally, i was charmed by the faithful weird and unbelievable dialogue and I thought it added to the "Silent Hill" feeling.
I had no problems with the acting, really. I felt like you did - it seemed like how characters in the games would've reacted.

[Necronopticous]

I'm glad to hear someone else take note to it, one of the best parts involving this idea was when Rose first meets Alessa's mother at the severed end of Silent Hill. She's this creepy woman who looks like a medievil witch who is mysteriously hanging around this insane abandoned town and Rose's reaction is "Hey, have you seen my daughter?" It's perfect, although those who are not familiar with the games will surely see this as thoughtless writing. Very brave and admirable on Gans and Avary's part, I think.

[Madame Adequate]

I'm glad to hear someone else take note to it, one of the best parts involving this idea was when Rose first meets Alessa's mother at the severed end of Silent Hill. She's this creepy woman who looks like a medievil witch who is mysteriously hanging around this insane abandoned town and Rose's reaction is "Hey, have you seen my daughter?" It's perfect, although those who are not familiar with the games will surely see this as thoughtless writing. Very brave and admirable on Gans and Avary's part, I think.

Eh, I figured most of that could be explained through the simple fact that she loved her daughter, more than anything, and that no matter what else was happening her imperative was to find Sharon. Weird stuff happening only made that more true. I can see why people might think otherwise, but I don't think it's too great a stretch for the uninitiated to swallow. Edit: Now, I'm off to throw another metaphor into the blender xD


Just another thing here...I can't get over how well done the first dark world scene was. It seriously creeped the hell out of me.

Yeah, for me that one part alone is worth the admission price.

[dirkdirden]

yeah I played SH 1 and 2 both when they first came out, and have only played them once through. so it has been many years since I played them.

I thoght it was a Prequll becuase in the game his wife is dead and in the movie his wife is alive. It would also explain why the hell he goes to silent hill in the first game. and In silent hill two he gets a letter from his dead wife, or as I was thinking his wife sent him a letter from the alternet world she is liveing in with her hellish daughter.

It still seems like a prequll to me becuase his wife is alive, even though I know its not.

[Zell's Fists of Fury]

yeah I played SH 1 and 2 both when they first came out, and have only played them once through. so it has been many years since I played them.

I thoght it was a Prequll becuase in the game his wife is dead and in the movie his wife is alive. It would also explain why the hell he goes to silent hill in the first game. and In silent hill two he gets a letter from his dead wife, or as I was thinking his wife sent him a letter from the alternet world she is liveing in with her hellish daughter.

It still seems like a prequll to me becuase his wife is alive, even though I know its not.
Christopher De Salvia (guy in the movie) =/ Harry Mason (guy from Silent Hill 1)

Seriously. PLay the game again. You have no idea what you're talking about.

Harry did not go to Silent Hill because of his dead wife. His dead wife had nothing to do with anything. He went to Silent Hill because of Cheryl.

[~SapphireStar~]

Christopher De Salvia (guy in the movie) =/ Harry Mason (guy from Silent Hill 1)

Seriously. PLay the game again. You have no idea what you're talking about.

Harry did not go to Silent Hill because of his dead wife. His dead wife had nothing to do with anything. He went to Silent Hill because of Cheryl.
Amen brother. Seriously dirkdirden, you need to play the games again or look them up. Your coming up with crap.

[Germ Hamee]

And if you give it the thumbs up, I'm dragging Glenn along with me tonight...:p

Huh? o.O

Yeah, anyway, to expand on my opinion of the movie... that movie was a total fanboy joygasm. I wriggled around in my seat for the first hour pointing wildly at locations and monsters and things I recognized. Like that alley camera angle from the first game that drove me NUTS because I always ran into the wall. The acting didn't bother me much at all. The only time I remember cringing was when Sharon was rolling around screaming SILENT HIIIIIIIIIIILL! Silent HIIIIIIIIIIIIIILL!

My only beef: Expanding on the cult destroyed the last bit of the movie. There's a reason that they're always so mysterious and kind of NOT THERE in the games. They're boring!

I was waiting for that insane breakdown of everything normal that lead me to shutting off my playstation the first round through. I wanted "Nowhere". I wanted Rose to have to face Cybil. Instead I got ten minutes of exposition and a bunch of people screaming "WITCH!!" in a church.

At least the barbed wire was cool.

[Tidus Andronicus]

Saw it the other night... I thought it was a great movie! ^_~
Wasn't perfect, but it was still good!

Anyway, I did some lite research and found the town that they based the movie version of Silent Hill on, Centralia Pennsylvania (http://www.offroaders.com/album/centralia/centralia.htm).

Apearantly the town really has been burning for the last 40 some years! Actually its a fire under the town, a coal fire. Amazingly enough they just can't stop it, not without digging a VERY big trench around the whole area before the fire hits an even bigger coal vain. lol

Anyway, it was interesting to see that something like that exists... even if its not exactly as bad as Silent Hill, its a town thats abandoned cause of an underground fire for 40 years... good enough. XD

[kikimm]

I'm sick and tired of the typical creepy little girl thing.

Other than that, though, I really enjoyed it. Although I'll agree with...MILF, I think, when he said that the first half was much more suspenseful. That first hour or so was very well done. And Pyramid Head. :heart:

I want to go see it again though. NOW.

[fire_of_avalon]

I agree with Yams on pretty much everything, except I'd watch it again.

I completely disagree about the mood and atmosphere. I am extremely easy to spook in a movie theater because of the noise and size of everything, and this film didn't really do anything to me. For context with this idea, understand that I could not finish Silent Hill, because it scared the bejezus out of me.

Yeah. Just not impressed. The nurses were pretty cool. The oil spitting thing was scary. Cybil was way hot until she took of her helmet, and then she was so-so. I was sad to see what happened to her.

The end was pretty awesome, even though most of my friends thought it just took too long. I really liked the idea, and the soundfx at that point were done remarkably well.

[Madame Adequate]

The more I think about it, the more I actually do want to see it again. I suppose that's a good thing xD And yes kikimm, it was me who said the first part was the best.

I didn't terribly mind the stuff with Chris. It was plain that it wasn't as well-considered as the rest, but on the other hand I thought it worked really well in the school.

[Yamaneko]

They should have at least done the UFO ending to coincide with the ridiculous dialogue.:D

[Giga Guess]

Huh? o.O

Yeah, anyway, to expand on my opinion of the movie... that movie was a total fanboy joygasm. I wriggled around in my seat for the first hour pointing wildly at locations and monsters and things I recognized. Like that alley camera angle from the first game that drove me NUTS because I always ran into the wall. The acting didn't bother me much at all. The only time I remember cringing was when Sharon was rolling around screaming SILENT HIIIIIIIIIIILL! Silent HIIIIIIIIIIIIIILL!

My only beef: Expanding on the cult destroyed the last bit of the movie. There's a reason that they're always so mysterious and kind of NOT THERE in the games. They're boring!

I was waiting for that insane breakdown of everything normal that lead me to shutting off my playstation the first round through. I wanted "Nowhere". I wanted Rose to have to face Cybil. Instead I got ten minutes of exposition and a bunch of people screaming "WITCH!!" in a church.

At least the barbed wire was cool.

Well you're the biggest Silent Hill fanboy I know, so if you like it, it's worth a look IMHO.

[Shaun]

It was truly amazing. Second best video game movie ever created, followed by the Mario Bros. movie! :D

[Nakor TheBlue Rider]

i really enjoyed the movie

i beat SH 1 but have never been a huge fanboy of the series, i played soem of the 2nd or 3rd but never finished it.

I enjoyed seeing scenes in the movie that looked exactly as i remember them in the 1st game. The creepiness was pritty good 7 or 8 out of 10, and the coolness was 8 or 9/10.

but, im one of those people that think Resident Evil & Resident Evil: Apocalypse were very very good movies.

[Slothy]

I finally saw this last night and I'm honestly quite divided on how I feel about it. On the one hand, the first half to two thirds of the movie was damn near perfect, the only downside being the stuff with the husband sort of killing the atmosphere and mood. The first chunk of the movie is exactly what any fan could hope for a Silent Hill movie to be. The problem for me was the later parts. For the most part, once they get to the church the first time they almost completely abandon everything that makes the games, and the first of the movie so cool. The cult was pretty lame as well. Had they followed the original game a little more closely in this regard, I think it would have held up much better. As it was, the story just became utterly boring near the end, and I really have to agree with Germ Hamee's take on it. I was also dissapointed with Pyramid Heads meager two appearances. Not much point in establishing him in the movie as an invincible bad ass only to toss him aside half way through.

On a final note, my biggest problem with the movie (and one that had me fighting back laughter near the end) since when does hentai style tentacle rape belong in Silent Hill? I'm sorry, but I couldn't help but laugh at it because I saw it coming a mile away.

Anyway, I would, and probably will see the movie again. Most of it was exactly what I wanted and now that I've had a day or so to think about it, I've mostly forgiven some of the stuff that almost ruined the last half entirely for me while watching it. I don't think I'll ever like the last 15 minutes or so though. When I buy it on DVD eventually I'll probably just stop it before it gets bad. Kind of like how I love the movie AI, but I can never stand watching the god aweful ending.

[Tidus Andronicus]

I read a review earlier, that brought up a decent point... although its not the main reason I like the movie... lol

"Atmosphere can sometimes be more powerful than plot."

At least in this movie, it sure is!

Vivi22: not bein picky XD but barb wire is far different than tentacles XD

[DynasticJam]

I am a big fan of the Silent Hill games, and I very much enjoyed playing the games. When I first played on Silent Hill I was completely shocked at some of the graphical content that takes place in parts of the game, I had never played on such a frightfully dark and horrific game in my life, I had managed to play on the previously released Resident Evil games which I might add can be very scary and grusome at times but when I played on Silent Hill I realised that Resident Evil was not such a scary game after all, well not compared to this one at least. Silent Hill had some amazing graphics which really crept up on you at the most unexpected times and the sounds that were used also really frightened you. I loved playing the game, there was always something new happening so you would never get bored of it. I had continued to play the Silent Hill titles until soon enough I heard that there was a movie in the making, at first I was rather exited but then I wasn't so sure that it would be that amazing, previous movies that were based upon games usually ended up crap and so I didn't think much of the Silent Hill movie. That was until it came out in cinemas, I had seen the trailer for it and I though that it looked quite good, although I didn't think that it looked very scary, so I decided that I would go down to the cinema and see it for myself. I sat through about 2 and a half hours of it thinking "WOW! THIS IS AMAZING!" I was astonished by how much it was like the game, and how it destorted the game even further to give you quite a fright. Many of the features used in the movie were taken from the games, from the nasty eeiry sounds to the monsterous pyramaid head creature which appeared in Silent Hill 2. This was the best movie I had ever seen. And the storyline was somewhat extremely clever, and it really sums up the story of Silent Hill, it's only at the end that you discover what the real story is behind Silent Hill. On the whole I give this movie a big 10/10! And that is my serious oppinion! This was more than a horror movie to me! This was the scariest and most clever horror movie I had seen in all my life! I am seeing this one again! :D

[Slothy]

Tidus Andronicus You're right. However, though the tools may have been different, it still had the same effect on me an actual tentacle scene would have had in this movie. Right up until she was ripped in half anyway. It's a small sticking point for me, but when she was hoisted up by the barbed wire and I immediately thought it was the makings of a good tentacle scene, then had that happen, what the heck was I supposed to do but laugh?

[Giga Guess]

Very well done. I wasn't terribly fond of the ending though. Is it REALLT to much to ask that Sharon and Rose got to be with Chris again, rather than stuck in Limbo?

[Tidus Andronicus]

Tidus Andronicus You're right. However, though the tools may have been different, it still had the same effect on me an actual tentacle scene would have had in this movie. Right up until she was ripped in half anyway. It's a small sticking point for me, but when she was hoisted up by the barbed wire and I immediately thought it was the makings of a good tentacle scene, then had that happen, what the heck was I supposed to do but laugh?
meh... your rightXD... At least ur not the only one thinking that, as the scene started. XD same thing was running through mine too...
:rolleyes2 shows what I was thinking at the time.... XD dirty mind... @_@

[DudeSon2004]

I saw it & I thought it was good, I'm gonna go see it again sometime.
I've even bought the Silent Hill collection, so I'm gonna go play those games.

[Craig]

Ok um, I thought the movie was real good. Not scary at all, but good.

I went into the movie with hopes of finding out why people were so excited about seeing Pyramid Head, as I've never played the game.

Now I can say Pyramid Head rocks! Every scene with him in was awesome, especially the scene where he rips the girl's skin off.

Oh, and during the Nurse scene I couldn't help but noticed that they all had real nice breasts.

[Tidus Andronicus]

Oh, and during the Nurse scene I couldn't help but noticed that they all had real nice breasts.
Yah, one thought I had after seeing the movie, was where did they get all the women to play the nurses. XD

I will say, that this movie is not scary in the average American-scarymovie style. It was more of the atmosphere that just creepys u out a little... and at least in my experiance, it gets into your head a little, causing at least 1 nightmare... XD At least its the good kind of creepy that u want to see again.

Although comon u can't say some of it was edge of the seat scary... like the scenes: where those freaky screaming things were chasing her, c_c I was scared, and not in the general 'jump out at u' kind of way, I was scared because they were chasing after her; which is an effect I noticed a few times in the movie. Also the scene with PH's first apearance, my heart was racing and pounding, and I kept thinking 'run faster run faster omg! XD
Maybe thats cause PH is held at the highest monster status in my mind. ^_~ Just seein him is scary! XD I'd like to think more people fear him now than before, just like kids fear the boogie man!

Overall, the movie was more of an 'omg thats amazing how they took that part from the game, and made it work in the movie!' Seeing monsters from the game, apear in the movie, and seeing how they did it, was just awesome!

[DynasticJam]

The great thing about this movie is that it is unpredictable as well, the first time I saw it I had no idea what was going to happen - well of course. But things seem to happen very quickly and I was surprised at the length of the movie, especially as there was always something happening. Which of course makes watching Silent Hill much more of an experience :)

[Giga Guess]

Yeah, there's not a lot of breathing room between sequences, is there? Much fun!

[Yuffie514]

i went out-of-state when the movie first debuted, so i wasn't able to see it that day. i had a chance to see it last night, but i missed a tiny bit of the introduction from being late.

story
as like the game counterparts, i always found much of the story confusing.

graphics
incredible detail and too much detail towards the end, when it came to a specific someone. it's so grotesque and i don't know when i will get it out of my head. well, it's said that things like these heighten your other senses (???).

music
well, i was glad to hear "You're Not Here" once more, also the themesong to the game, Silent Hill 3. of course, it did have all the freaky moans and groans and static noises.

scare factor: 7.5/10
impressive, suspenseful, unpredictable, gorrific, but i never had a time to freak out or jump out of my seat, xD. just a little uncomfortable in my own seat and at one point, i had my eyes closed for a few seconds.

so i still have that one scene stuck in my mind, but as far as i'm concerned, it wasn't a nightmare for me.

[~SapphireStar~]

I wasnt as scared as I was shocked. Specially the church scene and PH with Ann. I was shaking when I came out of the cinemas.

[Giga Guess]

Oh, and during the Nurse scene I couldn't help but noticed that they all had real nice breasts.


All I was thinking was they looked like a very fucked up chorus line. Glenn was expecting Thriller to come on at any second.