Silent Hill review *Spoilers*
Okay, here it is; my review for the Silent Hill film.
As mentioned before, the biggest issue with the film is that the non-gamers won't be able to appreciate it to its fullest, or even understand it completely. Things like the shifting worlds, and the white noise on the radio won't really make a lot of sense to people who aren't knowledgeable about the games. Little references, like Alessa's nurse (Lisa Garland), or something as small as the scene where Rose, Cybil, and Anna jump from one building's window to the neighboring building's (And obvious nod to the apartment area in Silent Hill 2.) won't be caught by most people, while the fans of the game will see it, look at each other, and grin.
Another issue I had was that there were very few creatures. Personally, I don't even want to consider the roaches, because they were so pointless, and played such a small role. The Red Pyramid, while a great nod to the fans, didn't have a role or reason, It was just there. This is appreciated, since so many fans (Including myself) love Pyramid Head so much, I still would've liked a deep meaning for his presence, though. The Janitor was a great addition. Creepy, and very fit for Silent Hill. The paper in his mouth with the writing on the wall was an absolutely wonderful touch, and it's something that I can clearly imagine being in one of the games. At first I thought he seemed too human, and the way he constantly flicked his tongue seemed obscure and out of place; until later in the movie. The sexuality of it fits well with his origin. A nice, subtle touch. The patient (Straight jacket) demon was nice to see. The Nurses were magnificent. The movie included their eerie movements, their sexualized bodies, their weapons, and even their response to things like light; a great touch. The babies at the beginning where also wonderfully done. Aside from those five creatures (Six, including the roaches. Seven, including Alessa.) it felt kind of bare to me. I would've enjoyed seeing a few more abominations, or maybe not more, but more frequent appearances. The "Mole men" as I like to call them, seemed pointless and out of place in the first half of the film, but it was more than obvious that they were human. I've no doubt that they have a role, and upon thinking about it, I haven't figured out why they carried a bird cage. I'm sure it's some kind of symbol.
The characters where well done and appropriate. Cybil was a bit annoying, but to be honest, I didn't care for her in the game, either. I did have a problem with Cybil's hair, As trivial as it may seem, Cybil's game version was much more approachable looking, and feminine. The film version is far too masculine for my tastes, and her hair is too choppy and short. The two are two separate "universes," though. So I can't really complain. My real issue with the film is the cultists. It really detracted from the feel of the movie. I found myself distracted from the film because of my hatred for the cultist characters, and while Alessa's revenge was extremely satisfying (Due to my burning hatred for them.) I still think they held the film back. Having one or two cultists would've been fine. Dahlia, Anna, and Christabella.(If Anna could even be counted as a cultist.) I felt the end sequence in the church, where Cheryl..I mean..Sharron and Cybil are being held with all of the cultists really toned the film's originality down, and placed it much closer to a more standard movie.
By far one of my favorite thing about the film was the music. Every single song in the movie (Except for Johnny Cash.) is music composed by Akira Yamaoka specifically for the games. The movie uses various tracks from each of the games' soundtracks. I was a bit disappointed that I didn't hear "Room of Angel" since it's one of my favorite SH tracks. The sound effects stayed true to the Silent Hill universe, I think it could've stood a bit more distortion (Especially in The Janitor's scene.)
Something I really appreciated about the movie was that it didn't have cheap, jumpy scares. There was nothing making a sudden, loud, noise in order to scare the audience. Only once do I recall something like this happening towards the very beginning. The atmosphere was creepy, dirty, and discomforting; exactly the way it should be.
There are a lot of things I was hoping for but didn't get. I really wanted a UFO ending, or at least a small reference to UFOs in the movie. Personally, I think there's one in it, and it just hasn't been noticed yet, or if nothing else, I'd bet that the DVD will have a UFO ending. I also kind of expected a save point in the film. A clipboard, red square, a mark of Samael (Or was it Metranon?), but I didn't notice one.
Overall, Silent Hill was, without a doubt, the best game to movie adaptation created so far. I believe it'll set new standards. While the movie had its flaws, and could've been better, it still exceeded every expectation I had set for it.
9/10
Fun Facts:
- I'm not 100% sure about this, but I believe when Rose was memorizing the directions through the hospital to Alessa's room, she was reciting the Konami Code.
- Christabella shares a name with a character from the hated SH comic book mini series, "Silent Hill: Dying Inside."
As mentioned before, the biggest issue with the film is that the non-gamers won't be able to appreciate it to its fullest, or even understand it completely. Things like the shifting worlds, and the white noise on the radio won't really make a lot of sense to people who aren't knowledgeable about the games. Little references, like Alessa's nurse (Lisa Garland), or something as small as the scene where Rose, Cybil, and Anna jump from one building's window to the neighboring building's (And obvious nod to the apartment area in Silent Hill 2.) won't be caught by most people, while the fans of the game will see it, look at each other, and grin.
Another issue I had was that there were very few creatures. Personally, I don't even want to consider the roaches, because they were so pointless, and played such a small role. The Red Pyramid, while a great nod to the fans, didn't have a role or reason, It was just there. This is appreciated, since so many fans (Including myself) love Pyramid Head so much, I still would've liked a deep meaning for his presence, though. The Janitor was a great addition. Creepy, and very fit for Silent Hill. The paper in his mouth with the writing on the wall was an absolutely wonderful touch, and it's something that I can clearly imagine being in one of the games. At first I thought he seemed too human, and the way he constantly flicked his tongue seemed obscure and out of place; until later in the movie. The sexuality of it fits well with his origin. A nice, subtle touch. The patient (Straight jacket) demon was nice to see. The Nurses were magnificent. The movie included their eerie movements, their sexualized bodies, their weapons, and even their response to things like light; a great touch. The babies at the beginning where also wonderfully done. Aside from those five creatures (Six, including the roaches. Seven, including Alessa.) it felt kind of bare to me. I would've enjoyed seeing a few more abominations, or maybe not more, but more frequent appearances. The "Mole men" as I like to call them, seemed pointless and out of place in the first half of the film, but it was more than obvious that they were human. I've no doubt that they have a role, and upon thinking about it, I haven't figured out why they carried a bird cage. I'm sure it's some kind of symbol.
The characters where well done and appropriate. Cybil was a bit annoying, but to be honest, I didn't care for her in the game, either. I did have a problem with Cybil's hair, As trivial as it may seem, Cybil's game version was much more approachable looking, and feminine. The film version is far too masculine for my tastes, and her hair is too choppy and short. The two are two separate "universes," though. So I can't really complain. My real issue with the film is the cultists. It really detracted from the feel of the movie. I found myself distracted from the film because of my hatred for the cultist characters, and while Alessa's revenge was extremely satisfying (Due to my burning hatred for them.) I still think they held the film back. Having one or two cultists would've been fine. Dahlia, Anna, and Christabella.(If Anna could even be counted as a cultist.) I felt the end sequence in the church, where Cheryl..I mean..Sharron and Cybil are being held with all of the cultists really toned the film's originality down, and placed it much closer to a more standard movie.
By far one of my favorite thing about the film was the music. Every single song in the movie (Except for Johnny Cash.) is music composed by Akira Yamaoka specifically for the games. The movie uses various tracks from each of the games' soundtracks. I was a bit disappointed that I didn't hear "Room of Angel" since it's one of my favorite SH tracks. The sound effects stayed true to the Silent Hill universe, I think it could've stood a bit more distortion (Especially in The Janitor's scene.)
Something I really appreciated about the movie was that it didn't have cheap, jumpy scares. There was nothing making a sudden, loud, noise in order to scare the audience. Only once do I recall something like this happening towards the very beginning. The atmosphere was creepy, dirty, and discomforting; exactly the way it should be.
There are a lot of things I was hoping for but didn't get. I really wanted a UFO ending, or at least a small reference to UFOs in the movie. Personally, I think there's one in it, and it just hasn't been noticed yet, or if nothing else, I'd bet that the DVD will have a UFO ending. I also kind of expected a save point in the film. A clipboard, red square, a mark of Samael (Or was it Metranon?), but I didn't notice one.
Overall, Silent Hill was, without a doubt, the best game to movie adaptation created so far. I believe it'll set new standards. While the movie had its flaws, and could've been better, it still exceeded every expectation I had set for it.
9/10
Fun Facts:
- I'm not 100% sure about this, but I believe when Rose was memorizing the directions through the hospital to Alessa's room, she was reciting the Konami Code.
- Christabella shares a name with a character from the hated SH comic book mini series, "Silent Hill: Dying Inside."