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Review #92: Silent Hill
Rose and Christopher, the adoptive parents of Sharon, are at their wits end when Sharon has recurring bad dreams and sleepwalks. Sharon even shouts the name of a ghost town, 'Silent Hill', while she's sleeping.
In a desperate attempt to find out what is happening to Sharon, Rose takes Sharon to Silent Hill, in the process she throws herself and her adopted daughter into extreme peril and they find out that this ghost town is not what it appears to be on the surface.
Based on the video game series of the same name, the movie takes elements of all the games and combines them into a relatively confusing, but visually thrilling mystery/horror/shocker combination.
It's more of a visual shocker with a run-of-the-mill (yet still quite disturbing) storyline behind it.
The storytelling is a bit lost sadly. It confusingly builds itself within a midge-modge of visual shocks and horrifically tortured/tormented and sadistic creatures, then quickly throws away all the confusing build ups with a very quick and simple explanatory scene that is shown in flashback.
Then, it goes into full on fantasy gore and then, leaves the audience at the end in another state of confusion over the fates of the main cast.
What makes the film watchable though, is the creature effects and design of the world that the cast are thrown into.
It's very disturbing and keeps the viewer on the backfoot with the various odd and imaginative creatures that are seen.
Most of the creature effects are practical, with CGI only used to touch up the outer shells of the creatures. What this gives the film is a very original look in the design.
The world that surrounds the characters is highly CGI though with a few sets thrown in, but the CGI/set collaberation is wonderfully put together.
The acting is touch and go throughout. Most of the main cast, Alice Krige, Deborah Kara Unger, Laurie Holden, Kim Coates and the little actress playing Sharon (Jodelle Ferland) are all massively impressive in their roles. Alice Krige is wonderful as the power hungry religious nut.
Radha Mitchell as Rose is competent enough but occasionally feels out of place in the film. It feels as though she's well out of her depth acting wise.
Sean Bean as Christopher, who has his own little side story when Radha disappears with Jodelle, feels very wooden and scripted. His American accent is also the worst I've ever seen in a film.
All in all, there are more bad points than good points. However, the good points (being the effects, imagination and atmosphere) are very very good and almost save the film. Worth a watch, but won't get watched too often by anyone who buys it.
Still though, for a horror game conversion, it beats Resident Evil hands down.
My rating 58%
Rose and Christopher, the adoptive parents of Sharon, are at their wits end when Sharon has recurring bad dreams and sleepwalks. Sharon even shouts the name of a ghost town, 'Silent Hill', while she's sleeping.
In a desperate attempt to find out what is happening to Sharon, Rose takes Sharon to Silent Hill, in the process she throws herself and her adopted daughter into extreme peril and they find out that this ghost town is not what it appears to be on the surface.
Based on the video game series of the same name, the movie takes elements of all the games and combines them into a relatively confusing, but visually thrilling mystery/horror/shocker combination.
It's more of a visual shocker with a run-of-the-mill (yet still quite disturbing) storyline behind it.
The storytelling is a bit lost sadly. It confusingly builds itself within a midge-modge of visual shocks and horrifically tortured/tormented and sadistic creatures, then quickly throws away all the confusing build ups with a very quick and simple explanatory scene that is shown in flashback.
Then, it goes into full on fantasy gore and then, leaves the audience at the end in another state of confusion over the fates of the main cast.
What makes the film watchable though, is the creature effects and design of the world that the cast are thrown into.
It's very disturbing and keeps the viewer on the backfoot with the various odd and imaginative creatures that are seen.
Most of the creature effects are practical, with CGI only used to touch up the outer shells of the creatures. What this gives the film is a very original look in the design.
The world that surrounds the characters is highly CGI though with a few sets thrown in, but the CGI/set collaberation is wonderfully put together.
The acting is touch and go throughout. Most of the main cast, Alice Krige, Deborah Kara Unger, Laurie Holden, Kim Coates and the little actress playing Sharon (Jodelle Ferland) are all massively impressive in their roles. Alice Krige is wonderful as the power hungry religious nut.
Radha Mitchell as Rose is competent enough but occasionally feels out of place in the film. It feels as though she's well out of her depth acting wise.
Sean Bean as Christopher, who has his own little side story when Radha disappears with Jodelle, feels very wooden and scripted. His American accent is also the worst I've ever seen in a film.
All in all, there are more bad points than good points. However, the good points (being the effects, imagination and atmosphere) are very very good and almost save the film. Worth a watch, but won't get watched too often by anyone who buys it.
Still though, for a horror game conversion, it beats Resident Evil hands down.
My rating 58%
