"Silent Hill" suffers from an ailment commonplace for nearly every movie based on a popular video game-stunning visuals and high production values at the cost of misconstrued plots, bad pacing and wooden acting. Like two sides of a coin, "Silent Hill" either comes up amazing or lacking. Whichever side it lands on is up to the moviegoer. The film, based on the popular franchise from Japanese game developer Konami, follows the story of Rose Da Silva (Radha Mitchell) whose adopted daughter Sharon (Jodelle Ferland) suffers from sleepwalking and within the film's first few minutes she shouts the name of the strange town from her dreams. Rose decides to take her there in search of answers, against the wishes of her husband Chris (Sean Bean). The town itself is shrouded in mystery and has been abandoned since a coal fire ignited beneath it more than thirty years ago. Just before reaching the outskirts, a girl appearing identical to Sharon steps out onto the road, causing Rose to swerve and crash, knocking her unconscious. When she awakens, she finds the passenger side door open and Sharon missing. Panicked, she starts off toward Silent Hill. The town she finds is far from anything remotely normal. The streets are filled only by debris and abandoned cars as the buildings lining them stand weathered and crumbling. A strange fog covers the town during the day as snow falls incessantly, which Rose discovers to be ash. As those who have played the game will know, Silent Hill is divided between two worlds, one light and one dark. The transition from the light world to the dark, heralded by a booming air raid siren, are moments audiences will come to meet with fear and anticipation. Visually, the film succeeds on all terms. The sets, monsters and special effects never fail to disturb. As the lights go out, Silent Hill becomes a very different place- walls, floors and furniture evaporate into fluttering pieces to be replaced by rusted steel, chain link fences and barbed wire. A variety of creatures appear, ranging from armless monsters to faceless, knife-wielding hospital nurses. The set pieces are fantastic and the atmosphere they create will be celebrated by fans and layman alike. The only downside appears to be in the way it was edited. The film uses all of these things well, but fails to truly scare. The pacing of Silent Hill sets up the observer for something scary to happen but, alas, fails to deliver. This repeated build up and subsequent let down happens throughout the film and will leave less enduring movie goers heading for the concession stand. Silent Hill is also very long-clocking in at 127 minutes. Scenes drag on much longer then they should. This would be a much better movie if it cut a half hour of boring footage. The plot pacing will also grate nerves as it follows a standard formula of find clue, scene transition, something disturbing happens, rinse and repeat. This stays true right up to the end and leaves plenty for fans to argue over on countless internet forums. Hill earns its R rating as it likely one of the bloodiest films I have ever seen. Give or take, the excessive gore will fill some seats, but leave others empty. This is not a movie for the squeamish. Fans of movies like "Hostel," "Saw," or the "Friday the Thirteenth" series will revel in the borderline obscene violence and gore while the fainter of heart will likely need to be carried out of the theater. The actors handle themselves well and are the least responsible for the movie's shortcomings. Mitchell does well as Rose, conveying the strength of her perseverance and maternal love just as well as her ability to appear absolutely terrified. Playing opposite her, Laurie Holden as Cybil Bennett provides a physical and emotional anchor for Rose and navigates difficult scenes precisely. Jodelle Ferland plays Sharon and her alter ego with ease, making her a young actress to keep an eye on in the future. With imagery that suffices to shock, but not to scare, and acting that is adequate, but by no means anything we haven't already seen before, the movie comes out fairly well. The plot deviates heavily from the one that fans of the video game already know and takes a few twists and turns, which make it hit or miss. For the more casual observer, the plot serves only to facilitate the special effects and the more dramatic scenes. Those with a more crucial eye will leave the theater with a much more construed understanding. Director Christophe Gans delivers a film that is visually stunning, well cast and peppered with homage that the fans will appreciate. Anyone who has played the games and enjoyed themselves will not want to miss it, while those curious enough should definitely see it, you could do a whole lot worse at the cinema these days.
Score: 3.5 / 5
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