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I can't be sure, but I think Sony may just be trying to sink the newest video game-to-film adaptation, "Silent Hill." First, they put together a trailer that had two very cheesy moments that do not even show up in the finished film (there is no cheesy C.G.I. ghost struck by a car and there is no lame voice over for the little girl when she says, "I am the reaper"). Then, they pull all screenings for critics, a typically bad sign usually used for such trash as "Date Movie" or "Generic Japanese Horror Remake 001." Well, based on my own opinion as well as those at the advance screening I saw, that last decision was a very poor choice.
This is, hands down, the best video game-to-film adaptation yet. Before this was "Doom," a movie I enjoyed but many others did not. However, there is no doubt in my mind that "Silent Hill" is not only a very solid movie, but also one that most video game fans will probably take to. My only regret is that the first truly great video game film is an adaptation of a series that I never really got into all that much.
The movie finds parents Rose and Christopher Da Silva (Radha Mitchell and Sean Bean, respectively) very distraught when their adopted daughter of nine years (Jodelle Ferland) begins to not only walk in her sleep but also begins walking over a very deep fall into rocky terrain right next to the family's home. When ever she is woken by her trance she frantically shouts the film's title over and over. This prompts Rose, without her husband's knowledge, to take their little girl back to the town of her birth to see what all the trouble is.
She really should have stayed at home.
"Silent Hill" is the first horror film I've seen that uses C.G.I. so effectively. The creatures in this thing are what nightmares are made of. From the walking, screaming, burned corpses of children to one big mother with a very large pyrimad helmet and an even bigger sword, the guys who went to work designing these creatures are all artists in their own right. Practical and computer effects have never been combined so well in a motion picture in recent memory. Sure, there are moments where you will know you're watching a glorified cartoon... but at the same time, you'll be asking yourself, "What in the blue fuck was that!?" so many times that it won't even matter.
The actors all do a fine job, with Laurie Holden as the tough chick cop Cybil Bennet being the stand out performance. This movie needed a badass, and Holden steps up to the plate as a cop who, unlike every other horror movie cop, knows when to shoot her fucking gun. Meanwhile, the creepy little girl of the film, Jodelle Ferland, plays multiples roles and does all of them fantastically. It seems that every stupid scary flick these days feels the need to employ some creepy little bastard who speaks in metaphors. Luckily, Ferland does a fine job, as her face is not encased in make-up but rather simple black ash... and that's what makes her so damn creepy.
The real downfall of "Silent Hill" is the cheese that creeps into the movie every so often. Once a secret cult is introduced into the film's script, things not only sort of slow down to an almost painful halt, but clear "Cruciple" influences begin showing up that are mostly unnecessary. Every time one of the town's folk whips out a, "Witch! Burn her!," I found myself cringing just a bit on the inside. Fortunately, the rest of the script from "Pulp Fiction" co-writer Roger Avary holds up fairly well.
Director Christophe Gans has really out done himself here. He has finally crafted one of the first, truly great video game films; a movie that seems to have been made souly for the game nerds out there but also just happens to entertain everyone else as well. From the abundance of gore to the music and especially to the set design, it becomes very clear that Gans knew what he was doing every step of the way, which is actually quite refreshing for a movie like this.
Shame on Sony. Prove them wrong this weekend and check this one out. It's not perfect, but it is a very good start.
Yes, Ebert's review was somewhat odd. If it weren't for the little *1/2 graphic, you might have thought he gave it a Thumbs Up. Needless to say, however, this is not a movie for everyone. It's surreal to a point and not everything is explained clearly. Still, I enjoyed it quite a bit.
On a slightly different note, they published my review on AintItCool.com. Check it out (some guy accused me of being a studio plant, heehee):
I think I have finally come to a conclusion about the American moviegoing public. Either the population is so dumb that all a filmmaker needs to do is put a bunch of pretty flashing images on screen, and all will be content. Or you hype a movie up with so much buildup and praise a writer that no one has ever heard of, and bill it as the greatest video game movie ever. I believe it is a little bit of both.
Silent Hill was the stupidest movie I have ever seen in my life. I believe the plot has already been addressed in an earlier review on this board, and quite frankly I don't feel like thinking about it anymore. Prior to this movie, I had never heard of Roger Avary. I now see why. Silent Hill was a decent video game in my opinion. Definately one of the scariest, but not that great. This game, however, had great potential for a movie. They clearly missed the mark with this abysmal product.
I mean where do I start? How about the screenplay first? Apparently, "Sharon" is Roger Avary's favorite word to type. I must have heard Radha Mitchell scream that line about 100 times. Why would creatures appear and then not ever be heard from again? Like the main "Demon" I believe made two cameo appearances, never appeared again, and was never explained. Why did the main cult leader appear to be the same age and have the same look she had 30 years prior, but Alessa's mother looked like she has been through two life times? I understand leaving some stuff to the imagination, but the whole movie?
The movie seemed to wrap up in a very abrupt fashion. The final trek along the bottom of the final building was built up to be a long and tedious task. It took her about 10 seconds and she only bumped into one group of creatures. Give me a break. And I think it is a bad sign in any movie when you need a little girl to narrate damn near the entire plot of the movie in a voice over montage with smash cuts to white screens.
The only minutely decent thing about this film was the set design. Some of those images were taken directly from the game and it was an awesome sight. Especially Radha Mithchell's first encounter with Alessa's dark side and moving through the chain-linked fence alleyways. I will give Christophe Gans credit for that. The klaxon blaring throughout the city was kind of cool as well. Other than that, this was a waste of two hours and $6.50.
Even being a person who has played the game, this movie still makes no goddamn sense. What I do know is that this film has shaken my confidence for video game adaptations of movies. I think I may think twice the next time a movie such as "Devil May Cry" or "Metal Gear Solid" comes out. Video games are obviously not good media to base movies off of. I used to disagree with Roger Ebert on this but he has a point. Video games are geared towards children. No doubt about it. As adults, it is not as interesting. When I played Silent Hill as a teenager, it was scary, interesting, and entertaining. I popped it in for old times sake the other day and the game is straight up boring. It's repetitive and juvenile.
So again, I don't like to steer people away from films because that's not my place to judge, but I can almost guarantee, if you have a brain, you will find this movie a waste of screen time.
Obviously I disagree with you, Guy, and I'm not here to sway your opinion. However, I do find it interesting that you write how video games do not make good films because they are "obviously not good media to base a movie off of," however in your signature, two of the scripts listed that you yourself wrote are based on video games.
It is my belief that the ending is very much supposed to be vague. However, I took it that the town of Silent Hill essentially became Hell. I was surprised that most did not seem to realize that the little demon girl was Satan (she even drops a reference to this when she says, "I go by many names, but you can call me..."; I can't be sure, but in the bible, I thought that Satan, at some point, is referred to as, "He who goes by many names"). As for the very end, I took it that Rose and Sharon had probably died in the initial car crash, as had the biker cop from her accident. They were dead the entire time, and though they escaped the town of Silent Hill (Hell), they were still not brought back to life and instead live in their own version of Heaven (which happened to be their peaceful home). However, I realize that this idea is not flawless, as the biggest problem is with Cybil herself (in that, if I am correct, she is technically killed twice: once in the accident and another from the burning). Still, I firmly believe that this vague ending was a conscience choice by Gans and Avary in an attempt to have the audience leave with their own conclusions.
I really just find it a shame that it seems mainstream critics are really tearing it apart, most saying it was either too confusing or not all that scary. Again, I don't think either of those were really the point. I find it refreshing to see a horror film that does not rely on cheap jump scares, but rather on deep, disturbing stuff that stays with the viewer. I saw this on Thursday night, and I'm not going to lie, the thing that is apparently just known by gaming fans as Pyrimad Head kept me up into the wee hours of the morning. Scary? Not necessarily. But certainly disturbing as hell and not in that cheap, B-Movie fashion. A sequel would be very cool and, according to my brother anyway, the fourth would make a great film (something about the darkness of Silent Hill infecting a single apartment).
To understand the ending you have to play the video games.
SPOILERS
they did not die. they are merly stuck in 'the world' that switches from real world to 'silent hill' world. you notice how he husband sensed she was in the same room when he is in the school. because she was but in another world. eventually the 'silent hill' world will fade back into the real world. and everything will be alright.
I have mixed feelings about this movie. Having played SH2 (extremely scary), I felt as if I had something of an inside track to the story. The strength in the movie lies in the visuals and the directing. I felt as if I was playing the game.
The plot, itself, seemed a little cliche and a little muddled at the same time.
My big complaint was the character of Officer Bennet. She looked more like a stressed out stripper than a motorcycle cop. Even at the end of the movie, I was thinking, "okay, this is where the stripper gets it!"
The little girl in the movie, played by Jodelle Ferland was pretty good. I thought her eyes were very haunting.
And it was good to see Alice Krige again, even though her role was extremely two dimensional. My wife described her character as a human borg queen.
If you liked the game, you'll like the movie as it was very faithful to it.
Okay I have a few questions about this movie since I just saw it:
1. Explain the beginning. We arrived in the theater right when the Silent Hill title faded in.
2. What the heck were those white things that moved like the girl in the grudge when she comes down the stairs?
3. I haven't played the game yet (and after seeing this I am eager to buy it) but do you do most of things in the game as they did in the movie?
I think those are all of my questions, I was confused throughout most of the movie, but all in all, it was pretty creepy. By far the creepiest movie I've seen and I'm looking forward to buying it.
2. What the heck were those white things that moved like the girl in the grudge when she comes down the stairs?
White things? I don't remember. Clarify more please.
SPOILERS
There were like three parts with them in it. The first part was when Rose was in some sort of factory place, and she saw the man in the suit and gas mask who was still alive, and something walked up behind her. She turns around and it's some burnt child thing or something and more and more come out and surround her, piling on top of her and stuff.
The second part was when the officer was about to shoot one of them, and it sprayed acid or something on her and she continuouly shot at it until it was dead as Rose ran away.
And the third time, was when Rose was about to walk into 'Satan's Lair' I'm guessing and there were all those mutilated nurses (or at least I think they were nurses) and they were attracted to light and she had to walk through them and one kept on trying to slice her up, but kept on cutting up the other 'nurses'.
This was terrible! At the begining of the movie, I had little idea what was going on. By the end, I had no idea. Most of it was just Radha Mitchell running around yelling "Sharon!" The Christopher subplot was completely pointless (Fangoria said that the studio complained that there were no men so Christopher's role was added... figures) but the worst by far was the cult. Very lame (although the ladder scene was creepy and reminded me of The Wicker Man, which is good). Most of the acting was pretty bad, especially minor characters such as the cult leader, and the dialogue was even worse. Even the creatures were lame. Pyramid Head and the nurses could've been great but the fact that they were all CGI ruined their presence in the movie. The atmosphere was pure Silent Hill but the rest of the movie was so bad that it didn't really matter. All in all, a good waste of my time... and I've played the game.
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