|
The Movie: After the enjoyably sleek and ominous "Brotherhood of the Wolf", many were interested to see what French director Christophe Gans would do with an adaptation of the "Silent Hill" video game. The result has its moments, but suffers from a few flaws, including a running time that seems like just too much for this kind of movie. The film opens with Rose (Rhada Mitchell) running through the night after her daughter, Sharon, who's sleepwalked her way into potential danger once again. The girl often suffers from sleepwalking and horrific nightmares, often involving the town of Silent Hill. Trying to figure out how to take care of the girl's problem, Rose sets out to take her daughter to the town of the title, despite the fact that her husband (Sean Bean) is set against it. After a strange traffic accident, Rose wakes up to find that Sharon is nowhere to be found. She walks into the abandoned town of Silent Hill, where ash constantly floats down from the sky. If anything, Gans has once again made a film with incredible visuals that manage to be dazzling without going overboard. From the first moments in Hill, the production design, cinematography and other technical aspects (aside from the CGI, which is inconsistent, but generally fine) really shine. This is a movie where, despite the fact that it often doesn't make a great deal of sense, it at least manages to create an incredible amount of mood and atmosphere. Rose soon finds that night happens suddenly in Silent Hill - signaled by what sounds like an air raid siren - and brings with it all manner of nightmarish creatures. There's also the - the police officer - Cybil Bennett (Laurie Holden) - who was chasing her prior to her accident. In a subplot that could have been potentially trimmed, Rose's husband ventures into Silent Hill to try and find his wife and daughter...only to see no sign of them. While the main issue with "Silent Hill" is the length (this movie could have been more around 100 minutes instead of nearly 130), another issue is that the movie's explanations of what's going on didn't make a great deal of sense (I've played a lot of games, but never the "Hill" series, so maybe that's an issue.) Dialogue was generally minimal and nothing special. However, I did like the performances - especially Mitchell's determined Rose. Overall, I honestly didn't quite follow the picture (maybe being more familiar with the series would have helped), but thought that Gans created a fascinating and nightmarish universe, with superb visuals. The film could have been tighter and the story clearer, but the atmosphere of this moody picture certainly kept my interest. A mixed review, but I thought the film certainly had moments. The DVD VIDEO: "Silent Hill" is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The presentation does a fine job showing material that I would think would be difficult to transfer. The interiors do look slightly murky, but the majority of the foggy exteriors and dimly-lit interiors look crisp and smooth. Some minor grain is spotted, but no artifacting was seen and only a few minor instances of edge enhancement were spotted. The print looked clean, with no dirt or marks. The color palette varies (can't say more than that), but looked accurately presented. SOUND: The film's Dolby Digital 5.1 presentation is among the best I've heard in quite some time. Those who can enable EX should, as the addition of the rear back surround really takes this sound mix another step further. Surrounds are consistently put to aggressive use for an assault of sound effcts both major and slight. Ambience and score sound full and crisp, while dialogue is never distorted or problematic. Deep, low bass is heard and felt at times. Overall, this was one heck of a sound presentation. EXTRAS: A documentary on the making of the film lasts just a tiny bit under an hour. Previews for other titles (including "Casino Royale") are also offered. Final Thoughts: A fan of the games may have been able to follow the story better, but the film's rich atmosphere and fine performances made for some creepy moments. The DVD offers solid audio/video quality and one good supplement. A rental for those interested who didn't see the film theatrically. 
Film Grade The Film C+ DVD Grades Video 89/B+ Audio: 95/A Extras: 75/C |