I'm back from the Silent Hill screening and I can safely say it's not a travesty. We'll be posting more in-depth about it next week, but without going into too much detail it's faithful to the game but still manages to weave its own story. It certainly contains elements from the first three games (and the soundtrack includes tracks from the four main games), but is predominantly concerned with the parent/child separation (and more) detailed in the first game.
Personally, I think fans of the game will be pretty pleased with the film as long as they aren't expecting a straight adaptation, and I think its skew on the Silent Hill universe holds up pretty darn well. However, those who aren't familiar with the game and expect a standard horror flick come away feeling disappointed. Despite the gore (and surprisingly, the film occasionally goes over-the-top in that department with mixed results), despite the suspense and jumps, it really comes off as more of a drama with horror elements. That's no surprise to those who are familiar with the games, but the pacing and progress of the story might frustrate some.
There are a few hiccups with the film, to be sure. The inclusion of left-behind father (Sean Bean) trying to follow his wife and daughter feels especially tacked on and occasionally heavy-handed. The penultimate scene is disappointingly conventional with its grizzly execution, and there are a few hokey moments, including a few disaffected exchanges between characters that, while they feel normal in the games, they feel out of place here.
Otherwise, it's a solid adaptation. I can easily say that the art direction and effects are fantastic, and some of the additional details writer Roger Avery has worked in, such as drawing inspiration from the coal mine fires of Centralia, work extremely well. But beyond that, well, we'll have more to say next week!
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#1 Dublyner Apr 21, 2006 04:39am
Excellent. I'm relieved that it's coming off with passable reviews.
#2 DrJones Apr 21, 2006 07:39am
I'm assuming the reason this movie didn't suck is because Uwe Boll had nothing to do with it.
Either way, I'm going to see it tomorrow. I'm glad to hear it wasn't crap. I'm sure it will help that I'm not a hardcore fan of the series, too.
#3 D. Riley Apr 21, 2006 09:47am
Christophe Gans doesn't disappoint? I don't believe it.
But if you're pretty happy with it I'm only more excited about the show. HOT DANG! Hook a brother up.
ALSO GIVE ME THAT SHIRT RIGHT NOW!!
#4 Glenn Turner Apr 21, 2006 05:31pm
To be fair, I did like Brotherhood of the Wolf.
It's worth nothing that, while I find it to be a solid adaptation, that doesn't necessarily mean that I think it's a great film - just that they've done a pretty decent job bringing over the themes and devices from the games. I'm still kind of mulling over whether, out of the context of the games, it actually works.
#5 KillerTeddy Apr 23, 2006 12:14pm
Whew. I enjoyed the movie.
Well, it was hit and miss. It did follow the game pretty well, had the sequence of events down...minus some details...BUT it wasnt as scary as a movie as it was a game. Or at least, thats what I thought.
(Minor spoilers)
I do have a few complaints though...Like, the hospital was pretty much thrown out..All they had was the nurse's in the hallway. And Pyramid Head was later, right? And I wish they had shown more of what happens in the school
However, I loved the CG in the movie. And pyramid head kicked some ass.
#6 breakbread Apr 23, 2006 02:50pm
Imagery, and sound in general, were spot the fuck on. They nailed it.
#7 quazz4life Apr 23, 2006 03:32pm
there is a spoiler tag in the reply box.
Please use it in the future, as some of us have not seen the movie.
#8 4_point_maverick Apr 24, 2006 12:31am
I saw it tonight. I never played any of the games except for about 5 min of SH4 and gave up. I had no idea what the plot was, who the characters were going into this movie.
Now after saying that i thought it was decent, not that scary, but i'm still fucking confused on some stuff about the movie. I'm sure playing some of the games would have given me a better understanding of it. But coming from someone who gives crappy movies that try a chance and try to figure out stupid movies this one was confusing for me.
Coolest thing: The guy with the weird triangle-type helmet on his head. He was phenomenal!
#9 WholeFnShow Apr 24, 2006 06:01pm
The one thing I really wish I could experience is what this movie is like without much, or any, prior knowledge about the series. My friend, who is oblivious to all things Silent Hill, said he liked it but that's as much as I've heard from him about it. It was just really hard to look at it as a movie, and not a game that was made into a movie.
#10 quazz4life Apr 24, 2006 06:04pm
I've not played any SH games.
when I go to watchthe movie this weekend, I'll post my thoughts on it.
#11 Grimson Apr 24, 2006 09:53pm
Well that gives me much more impetus to go see and report back here, seeing as how I've never played the games.
#12 Glenn Turner Apr 25, 2006 05:07pm
This Silent Hill contest is hilarious. UD and I went on the Chicago Ghost Tour last year at the behest of some friends visiting from Austin and, well, scary is definitely not the term we'd use to describe it. There was a lot of hooey and claptrap about capturing images of ghosts via digital cameras though!
Regardless of how much fear it induces, It's a nice way to see a bunch of more esoteric Chicago landmarks, such as the location of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre for instance. Still, I wouldn't consider it all that much of a prize, since tickets are (relatively) cheap, and it's a rather brief and cursorary affair. Maybe the New Orleans tour you get if you win is a bit longer and more substantial?
#13 WholeFnShow Apr 25, 2006 06:20pm
I will never forgive them for OK'ing that fucking image for the posters.
Anyway, I talked to a guy who only played SH2 for about 5 minutes in the middle, and just barely started SH3 (still in the mall). I got his take on the whole thing and got to explain some more of the game driven ideas that were put into the movie.
The gore is what I believe will entice or drive away the non-fans. This guy just kept bringing it back up over and over again. Overall he enjoyed it but, even with the fans, certain big things were just lost on him. Far as I can tell, to the generic moviegoer, it's a decent thriller with buckets of the juice.
#14 R. LeFeuvre Apr 25, 2006 06:42pm
Do you go by the area where that crazy dude lived and built his house of horrors in which he would drop guests into hidden rooms with no doors and see what acid type 'n' or gas 'x' would do to them? That guy was pretty scary.
#15 Glenn Turner Apr 26, 2006 10:53am
I'm pretty sure there was something in the tour about H.H. Holmes (those unfamiliar with the tale of H.H. Holmes should check out that link - he was a creepy guy), but I honestly can't recall. If there was, it was glib, which makes sense as that part of town is a bit further south than most of the other locales on the tour.
#16 Benedict Apr 30, 2006 05:58pm
I have to say that my favourite thing about the movie was the coal mine bit. The whole tragedy that was entirely from the movie.