Last night I said that the review situation for SH had become complicated. There were lots of critics who hated it, lots of fans who loved it, some critics who loved it and some fans who hated it. Confusing. I figured, as I was a fan, I was likely to be polarised towards loving it. Strangely, in a world so full of love it or hate reviews, I find I'm very much in the middle, stuck in 'foggy' Silent Hill, if you will. Here's why:
The film tried to do a lot of things. Some were very succesful, for example: 'Pyramid Head' was incredible, terrifying, powerful, a symbol of judgement. Some were less succesful, for example: 'Pyramid Head' thrown in with no build up, stripped of his meaning even as he epitomised it by the changed plotline, and failed to be explaiend at all (although like in the games his "purpose" in the films is hinted at, it just doesn't make much sense to me.
Another succesful thing: the effects; wow! Silent Hill was made real on screen. Incredible. Got a bit boring after a while though as they only really brought to life some aspects, and left alot of the diversity out. Well not boring as such, but there was room for improvement, so we'll call that one a minor niggle. besides there was clever references aplenty from the street names to familiar locations, obstacles and items.
Another failure: the plot; god! Actually god is the key word as this is a central concept which the plot revolves around and the film seems to have let it slip off its hinges. The cult which SH has had running for years seems to have changed its position since I last encountered them, because now they seem to want to kill someone to stop the darkness, not unite that person so that they can bring it about.
Ok, enough with the itemised list. I could go on for ages but it's easier to just say it all straight. I liked the film, but they changed a lot more than I expected and soemtimes they showed too much, an asset in a game when you are the character and you're field of view is limited anyway, a failing in the cinema when you detach from the character and see carnage that might have been more effective left to the imagination. The music was good, (yay to Akira Yamaoka) but I feel could have been used more effectively. The exposition near the end was lengthy, dull and lead to a morally ambiguous final event which doesn't fit with SHs philosophies at all (yes, SH says we all have light and dark, but the film seems to say some are evil some are good and some evil things are good as well.... which just confuses the whole issue beyond sense).
My biggest bugbear, and this still hinges on the plot, is that the central theme of SH has stepped away from internal issues of self-judgement and guilt as embodied by SH2, and has become a revenge story. Alessa was magically transformed into Sadako (even to the point of mimicking her motions climbing out of the well in one scene), and though Gans wanted to make an SH2 movie, he has concotced a new plot that ultimately would make a nonsesne of SH2 set up. Could James and co. really be caleld to SH because of a little girl's revenge?
The fact that Ring has influenced this film so clearly is perhaps inevtiable, but it seems to me a greta shame. I love the Ring series, but it and SH are different styles of horror and to have one bleed so much into the other is a sad thing.
I will buy this when it comes out on DVD, I'll watch it and I'll enjoy it again, but it's not really Silent Hill anymore, it's a hybrid. Maybe a sequel will take us back to the heart of it all, but this one seems to be dneying even that. Still Gans' commentary should be interesting...
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