A few thoughts on the Silent Hill movie

I just got back from seeing the Silent Hill movie, and I was pleasantly surprised. I read a few reviews that dismissed it as nonsensical and unintentionally humorous so I was scared I wouldn't buy into it... well it was unintentionally humorous at some parts, but not frequent enough to spoil it altogether... but I liked the film overall.

Firstly, I'm a huge Silent Hill fan. I've played through and still own all four games. Although all of them have their moments, the first is probably my favorite as a game, and the second and fourth are the most intriguing as far as story and symbolism are concerned.

The movie kind of borrows from the first and third, but really just goes off in a new direction while being sure to introduce memorable characters to stay in touch with the fans (Cybil Bennet, Dahlia Galespie and Alessa Gilespie, the infamous "Pyramid Head", and a few monsters borrowed from the first and second games... the guy in the bathroom scene seemed very SH4-ish, but I'm pretty sure it's an original design). The little girl of the story isn't Cheryl from SH1 and 3, she's a new character to fill an identical role (named Sharon). Likewise, her dad isn't Harry, but they seem like a close match.

Anyway, I thought that the very beginning could have been stronger and that the actress-who-portrayed-Cybil's acting wasn't very good or true to her character (she didn't fit in that well either). In fact, it seemed to me that the first half of the movie was more or less packed with incessant tributes to the "feel" of the game, which worked well but seemed shallow somehow. Fortunately, after that the story kicks in and it becomes a sublime cinema moment that actually managed to convey the desperate mood and dense story of the Silent Hill series.

Instead of continuing in a full-review-like fashion, I'd prefer to make some random comments and suggestions (not that they'll ever be heard):

• Pyramid Head was such a tease! He served no role whatsoever but to engorge fans with nostalgia.
• The billboards, etc. with biblical passages shouldn't have been so front-and-center. If they had been left in the scenery, they would have been much more engrossing.
• The nurse in the "post-white" sequence was surreal-- it was executed perfectly.
• A lot of the violence was unnecessary. That said, the movie is likely bound to develop a cult status.
• If someone isn't familiar with the series they are going to be confused beyond comprehension.
• The transformations between the other world were interesting, but it made it the transition a lot less subjective. I still remember in the first Silent Hill where after defeating the lizard boss in the school, you are placed back into the pure and snowy setting of the normal reality and the contrast hits you like a ton of bricks, evoking a feeling of, "Was that a dream?". The observable transformations in scenery made the turn of events much more objective, which I'm not sure is a good thing.
• A lot more could have been done with the character that looked like Kaufmann from SH1...
• The DVD release of the movie needs to have bonus multiple endings. (I'm rooting for a UFO one.) Maybe they could have riddles under special features to unlock them?
• As I implied earlier, I think that the writer and director could have gone in a different direction for the characters rather than making new ones to adopt the roles of existing characters in the series. If there's ever a sequel perhaps they could be so bold as to go in their own direction. Or if not, I'd like to see them approach it more in line with SH4 (which seemed better suited as a movie than a game anyway).