If we're honest, video game movies hold a special place in our hearts for various reasons. Whether it's because we generally love the movie despite its' hatred or nostalgia. For me, its' Angelina Jolie in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. For others, its the first Mortal Kombat movie. However, there are a few in the genre that go unnoticed or unremembered. Silent Hill is definetly one of those films.
Silent Hill tells the story of Rose, a mother, who goes looking for her daughter, Rose, in the town of Silent Hill, West Virginia. The town has a weird history that no one wants to really address. The way in which the film handles this element of the script. It almost feels like a modern day telling of the Salem witch trials a bit. There's nothing too particular wrong with this angle for a film.
However, there is something wrong when the narrative can't exactly decide a direction it wants to go. Yes, at its core it is the story of a mother searching for her daughter. As the film progresses deeper and deeper that story line becomes white noise as the origin of the town center stage. In the end, the two arcs do meet up and honestly it does work. If the film would have ended there. After the arcs meet up, we're met with an anti-climatic ending.
The deeper into the town we go, the creepier things become. The horror aspect of this cinematic experience is really where it shines the most. The CGI may not be up today's standards but the practical looks of the film's darker elements actually shine the most. For the first two acts, they exist very far and far between. It's a real treat when you do get to experience them. That's why the climax of the third act, as the film descends into pure horror, is the crown jewel.
However, while the horror is solid, there is alot (and I do mean ALOT) of filler aspects. For one, the husband, Chris, is completely wasted. His arc in the entire film literally adds nothing to the film but filler. If you took out his portion, the film would flow better and be the perfect running time. The pacing of the film is very well done, it does overstay its' welcome. To make the film about 30 minutes lighter would be an understatement.
Overall, Silent Hill is an adaptation that thrives on its' horror elements and its' pacing. However, it is suffocated by filler content and muffled arcs.
FINAL SCORE: 2.5 / 5
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