Silent Hill movie review *very minor spoilers*

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dream431ca

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This review has some extremely minor spoilers that we all know already.

Silent Hill" is the best horror film in years, with nail-biting scenes and a heart pounding climax..., 20 April 2006
10/10
Author: agentmatheus from Brazil

Not wanting to accept the fact that her daughter Sharon (a creepy Jodelle Fernand) might be dying, Rose (Radha Mitchell, totally immersing in the film's atmosphere) drives to the eerie town of Silent Hill to find a faith healer- even though her husband Christopher (Sean Bean) doesn't like the idea at all. Arriving there, Sharon disappears in the foggy town, which also leads Rose to realize this town is not like anything else in the world. She then seeks her daughter while trying to understand the history of Silent Hill, and why it is dominated by Darkness.

Since "The Ring", released in 2002, haven't we seen a horror movie that is as good and scary as this one. "Silent Hill" is the best horror film in years, with nail-biting sequences and a heart pounding climax. And the best thing is that it's a movie that makes you sleep with your light on. And, guess what? It is magnificent. It is a horror movie with content, a spectacular, excellent journey through the human soul and its primitive instincts of fear. Rose's greatest fear might not be the creatures that dwell in Silent Hill, but the fact that her daughter is not safe. It's been like this since the beginning of times. In fact, this movie is almost head-to-head with "The Shining", which is the best horror film ever made. It's a work of genius, the seventh art elevated to a higher ground: it is groundbreaking.

During the screening I attended, there was a dead silence that reigned, being (constantly) interrupted by shrieks and yells. It's the primitive instinct of fear. And this movie encourages it: it is terrifying, violent, and tense. In some scenes, the camera trembles, the audience shivers, and then, when least expected, your heart is almost running through your mouth. One example? As Rose walks down the silent city, where stores are empty and the street has no one but herself, a sound is heard. You could hear a hair falling in the floor at that moment. Then suddenly, beside me, a tall man, covered withing his shirt so he didn't see, starts moaning "Don't go there...Don't go there..."That is just how immersing "Hill" is.

All this and I forgot to mention one thing: "Silent Hill" is, hands-down, the best video game adaption ever. Every bit of the game can be identified by fans. The creatures are realistic (the scene where the Pyramid Head is shown left me scared breathless), the atmosphere is perfectly adapted, and the city itself is marvelous. It's like playing the game in a TV that's the size of your room. The body count of the movie is big, there is a lot of gore, and while this chaos goes on, video game fans will be crying like little girls. It is real, friends.

Radha Mitchell is completely into the project, featuring more emotion than many Academy Award nominated actresses I've seen. Her soul starts to be your soul as soon as she tells her daughter they are going to the city that covers her dreams. Her magnetizing performance is worth clapping. Kudos, Radha. Otherwise, the cast is perfect. However- and unfortunately- Sean Bean's characters has little time to provoke that much empathy on us than Mitchell. He seeks the two most important things in his life in Silent Hill and that is enough to like him. But, as you end up liking him, you end up wanting him to appear more. But that doesn't happen, which is a shame, since this was a very interesting character.

"Silent Hill" is a major example of how horror/video game movies should be done. When the climax arrives, you are already sure your lungs aren't functioning properly, but the movie turns your heart 360 degrees, leaving you senseless. This is one of the scariest movies of the century, with a finale that leaves your heart with a knot. It's sad that the probability of this movie failing critically and commercially is huge, since many people just don't like video games. However, "Silent Hill" is much better than any other movies opening. "Silent Hill" is, so far, the best movie of the year- and titans are needed to take this title from it.---10/10
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Here is the site.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0384537/#comment
 
Pre-release reviews ftl.
"Silent Hill" is a major example of how horror/video game movies should be done. When the climax arrives, you are already sure your lungs aren't functioning properly, but the movie turns your heart 360 degrees, leaving you senseless. This is one of the scariest movies of the century, with a finale that leaves your heart with a knot. It's sad that the probability of this movie failing critically and commercially is huge, since many people just don't like video games. However, "Silent Hill" is much better than any other movies opening. "Silent Hill" is, so far, the best movie of the year- and titans are needed to take this title from it.---10/10
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:| Right... Silent Hill movie crew member much?
 
Don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to it too...

But this guy is over-exaggerating... there's no way the movie could be that scary.
 
xlucidx said:
Don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to it too...

But this guy is over-exaggerating... there's no way the movie could be that scary.
Click to expand...

True, but go to the link in the first post and look at the other reviews. There are alot of 10/10 and 9/10, only 1, 1/10 from someone who doesn't understand the movie at all.
 
Well, my fear that the movie is going to suck for us gamers... is diminishing a bit.

I'm sure the critics like Roger Ebert will rip it apart though.
 
xlucidx said:
Well, my fear that the movie is going to suck for us gamers... is diminishing a bit.

I'm sure the critics like Roger Ebert will rip it apart though.
Click to expand...

Ya, I agree. It's just another game movie to them..although, I'd be very surprised if they give it a good review...very surprised.
 
That'd be the day... a professional movie critic giving a video game movie anything higher than a C.

But if they view Silent Hill as a movie like The Ring, it might stand a better chance.
:|
 
Critics are retarded. I have no respect for them. This movie is going to OWN! tmr cant wait omg!
 
I was going to say it looks fake, but looking over his over reviews it seems like far too much work. Especially since his reviews don't look upon certain production studios in more light than others. Guess he just is passionate about writing quality reviews.

Only one of the comments has been negative, seems promising.
 
 
I saw this and thought it was very good. I didn't play any of the games so I wasn't expecting this to be any good since most games to movies suck. This was actually really well done, kind of leaves you with a cliffhanger though.
 
Reelview is almost on par with everything I think, so I will wait til he reviews it.
 
KagePrototype said:
1.5/4 from Ebert:

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060420/REVIEWS/60421001

Gotta love his semi-smug comment at the end. :D
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I'm sure it's as difficult as he says to follow. Admittedly so, I haven't seen it yet. But, I've had a few friends catch advanced screenings of the film and all indication are that Hollywood finally nailed it with video game source material. Basically, if you enjoy the game, you should enjoy this movie. Nuff' said. I am going to see what he says about Ebert's comment about it being difficult to follow or if playing the game has any bearing on you enjoyment of the movie. I'll follow up in a few hours.

Just looking around the net, people that have seen it are walking away satisfied. That's good news in my book....truely excited to see this movie.
 
very mixed reviews so far. I'll probably catch it on Sunday, I'll try to go into it with an open mind but I've lowered my expectations so if it isn't *great* I can still have an enjoyable time.
 
xlucidx said:
That'd be the day... a professional movie critic giving a video game movie anything higher than a C.
Click to expand...

cuz in every single example they're crap ..a C is being nice
 
CptStern said:
cuz in every single example they're crap ..a C is being nice
Click to expand...

Heh yeah that's true.

I haven't seen a good video game movie yet.
Doom... eh, it had the upper-body portion of Pinky from Doom 3 right.
But that's it really.

Silent Hill, we'll see... I've only played 2 and 3 though.
 
I don't make a habit of reading Ebert's reviews, but has that man ever been able to write? This is probably the most awkward sentence I've ever read:
They talk and talk and somehow their words do not light up any synapses in my brain, if my brain has synapses and they're supposed to light up, and if it doesn't and they're not, then they still don't make any sense.
Click to expand...
That's fine that he doesn't like it, but what a terribly written article.
 
I spoke with my friend and he said that there may be cases where playing the game would help in the completely oblivious persons' enjoyment of the movie, but there are very few of those instances.

What I liked the most was when he said that "If you didn't know any better, you could think that the game was based off the movie". That's good news in my books. It's a great game, nuff' said.
 
in the 2 irish newspapers i read it got 1 star out of 5 calling it ''pretentious'' and the script supposedly is awful, the other review said the same things basically but gave it 2/5 coz of the atmosphere/creepiness.
 
he knows what he's talking about ...not exactly my type of person but he's a fairly good reviewer


if you dont know who pier paolo passolini is or federico fellini, or bergman or Godard or Bunuel is, if your idea of a cinema great is James Cameron or Jerry Bruckheimer you have no business critiquing a film critic
 
Everything seems to be possitive about this film, and most of you have probably seen it several times before I can, I'll have to wait until June 2nd :(
 
CptStern said:
he knows what he's talking about ...not exactly my type of person but he's a fairly good reviewer


if you dont know who pier paolo passolini is or federico fellini, or bergman or Godard or Bunuel is, if your idea of a cinema great is James Cameron or Jerry Bruckheimer you have no business critiquing a film critic
Click to expand...


Yeah, Ebert for the most part, knows what he's talking about most of the time.
 
Raziel-Jcd said:
Man do i hate critics.
Click to expand...

It's his opinion. Robert Ebert is, most of the time, nail on the head to be honest (apart from his The Thing review). And honestly, how can "It's OK, baby. Everything's gonna be OK!" be passed up as dialouge? Anyone? :|
 
Well my friend said the movie is really only a movie fans of the game will get. So if you're a fan of the game, you'll love it.
 
Critics are full of shit, most of the idiots (like Ebert) likely didn't give any effort to understand the movie (stupid bias against Video Game movies I suppose, which does hold merit sadly), since I haven't played a single Silent Hill game and I caught onto everything easily. It's honestly a good movie, one of the better horror movies I've seen in a long time. My last one was Hostel and that sucked a bag of rocks. The cinematic's in the film were spectacular, the plot was great, especially considering this is a horror flick, the acting was solid, everything was spot on.

In a nutshell, I came away satisfied on my money well spent, it'd be a complete shame if any of these critic's persuaded you otherwise.
 
I would say the movie is good. It's very much like the game, so you should know what to expect.

It's a fairly slow paced, methodical horror film with amazing art direction and a very surreal, creepy story. I didn't like a few lines of dialogue and the female cop was not a very good character. Other than that it was a good movie, and I especially liked the change of pace towards the end.

It certainly doesn't feel like a typical genre film ... actually it is much closer to an experimental arthouse film in terms of mood. I would recommend it, but don't go in expecting what won't be there.
 
Just got out of it. Seriously cool movie. Slower paced than most modern movies but I think it adds to the atmosphere quite a bit. Like most of the time not a lot is going on but it's adding tension to the next scene. Very suspenseful and not as gory as you may have heard, which is a good thing for this type of film. Like half the point is getting you all worried about what the hell is going to happen next and when it does it's not quite what you expected. Acting is what needs to be there but it's mostly the direction and art that make it work. Very cool. I was creeped out during most of it, actually. edit: I've never played the games, nor have the two people I saw it played them, but we all liked it. Way more creepy than the Hills have Eyes, the other big horror flick of the year...
 
The movie was great. Really, pyramid head, the music, sets, and atmosphere really make it work. A must see for Silent Hill/Horror Fans. Best Horror movie in decades.
 
AMAZING MOVIE! Holy shit. I saw it with 6 people and i was the ONLY one who knew anything about the game. ALL my friends LOVED and understood the movie. I was seriously a INSANE STORY and INSANE EFFECTS. INSANE EVERYTHING. GO watch and support this movie. YOU WILL NOT regret it!!! PLZ trust me. HOLY SHIT i cant explain how good this movie was. INSANE ART!

AiM said:
Critics are full of shit, most of the idiots (like Ebert) likely didn't give any effort to understand the movie (stupid bias against Video Game movies I suppose, which does hold merit sadly), since I haven't played a single Silent Hill game and I caught onto everything easily. It's honestly a good movie, one of the better horror movies I've seen in a long time. My last one was Hostel and that sucked a bag of rocks. The cinematic's in the film were spectacular, the plot was great, especially considering this is a horror flick, the acting was solid, everything was spot on.

In a nutshell, I came away satisfied on my money well spent, it'd be a complete shame if any of these critic's persuaded you otherwise.
Click to expand...

I <3 you.
 
Raziel-Jcd said:
AMAZING MOVIE! Holy shitL
OVEDINSANE STORY and I
NSANE EFFECTS. INSANE EVERYTHING.
GO watch and support this movie.
YOU WILL NOT regret it!!! PLZ trust me.
HOLY SHITNSANE ART!
Click to expand...

................................................................................
 
watched this movie tonight and omg i loved it :D

Greatgat said:
Just got out of it. Seriously cool movie. Slower paced than most modern movies but I think it adds to the atmosphere quite a bit. Like most of the time not a lot is going on but it's adding tension to the next scene.
Click to expand...

i thought the pace of the movie was just right.
not too fast but not overly slow either...enough to add to the atmosphere and adding tension as you said. :)

IMHO this is the best game turned movie to date!!!! :cool:
Pyramid Head was so badass!!! :cool:
i definitely recommend Silent Hill fans to watch this movie and well, even those who aren't fans but are looking for a horror/tense movie, this one does a great job in that area :thumbs:

i do have something to gripe about tho...however it doesn't have much to do with the movie...apparently here in the Brampton area we have a few very ****ING DENSE PARENTS.

some fruitcake thought it was okay to bring a 5 year old to this movie and let me just say, this movie shouldn't be for anyone in that age group simply because of the gore scenes (there aren't really many but still, its not something for a 5-6 year old i think) and a few other grotesque(sp?) scenes.

first of all...i cannot fathom how the 18M rating does not ring alarm bells for any parent, let alone a parent of a 5-6 year old.
secondly, after the movie i proceeded to ask one of the theatre employees about allowing a 5 year old into an 18M rated movie and his response? "when the parent is accompanying the child, its their discretion on the child watching the movie"

don't get me wrong here, i am not for censorship but i do not personally think Silent Hill is the type of movie you want 5 year olds watching.

/end rant. :frown:
 
Dr. Freeman said:
watched this movie tonight and omg i loved it :D



i thought the pace of the movie was just right.
not too fast but not overly slow either...enough to add to the atmosphere and adding tension as you said. :)

IMHO this is the best game turned movie to date!!!! :cool:
Pyramid Head was so badass!!! :cool:
i definitely recommend Silent Hill fans to watch this movie and well, even those who aren't fans but are looking for a horror/tense movie, this one does a great job in that area :thumbs:

i do have something to gripe about tho...however it doesn't have much to do with the movie...apparently here in the Brampton area we have a few very ****ING DENSE PARENTS.

some fruitcake thought it was okay to bring a 5 year old to this movie and let me just say, this movie shouldn't be for anyone in that age group simply because of the gore scenes (there aren't really many but still, its not something for a 5-6 year old i think) and a few other grotesque(sp?) scenes.

first of all...i cannot fathom how the 18M rating does not ring alarm bells for any parent, let alone a parent of a 5-6 year old.
secondly, after the movie i proceeded to ask one of the theatre employees about allowing a 5 year old into an 18M rated movie and his response? "when the parent is accompanying the child, its their discretion on the child watching the movie"

don't get me wrong here, i am not for censorship but i do not personally think Silent Hill is the type of movie you want 5 year olds watching.

/end rant. :frown:
Click to expand...

My 13 year old brother came to see the movie with my friends and he understood and loved it. Man im loving this. People are supporting this. I might even go see it again. Deff getting all the DVDs for this. Man jesus it was insane. WoW! Cant stop thinking about it. It was seriously perfect.

Samon said:
................................................................................
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I love you too! :)
 
Raziel-Jcd said:
My 13 year old brother came to see the movie with my friends and he understood and loved it.
Click to expand...

right, and perhaps 13 year olds can understand it but in my post, i was talking about a 5 year old (perhaps he was a year younger or older...who knows, doesn't make a huge difference tho)...hm..so then you're not bothered with a 5 year old watching Silent Hill?
 
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