Silent Hill (DVD, 2006, Widescreen Edition)

Silent Hill is the best game-to-movie adaptation there is - no doubt about it. Other people will tell you how different it was from the game, when Konami themselves had a hand in developing this. You will also read how "confusing" it is; if you honestly can't think and watch a movie at the same time, you shouldn't be allowed to review anything. Finally, the actual video game reviewers, such as Playstation's Joe Scalzi, will tell you that the acting and script is subpar. I'll give him that, since the little girl Alessa doesn't carry much emotion in her voice, but Sean Bean and Radha Mitchell more than compensated for it.

Now, for the meat of this review - the movie. It is a good movie that stays true to its roots in the horror genre. While it's not the best horror movie I've seen, it's the best I've seen in the past few years. The eerie "fog and static" atmosphere is constantly in effect, and the multitude of monsters are all pretty frightening, especially the two towards the end. The gist of the terror for me came at the end, when I deciphered the movie's message. This movie doesn't use excessive violence on the main protagonist's part, and I appreciate that. The casting was great, even though Radha Mitchell's character was a brunette in the game. I would have liked it more had there been more clues to figure out as the movie progressed, instead of the plot bombardment you experience towards the end.

Silent Hill is the best game-to-movie adaptation there is. If you're looking for a movie based on a game that stays true to it in every aspect, look no further. As a regular horror movie, it is still pretty good, but it somehow lacks dramatic flair in the spoken dialogue. It consistently retains a bone-chilling atmosphere, especially at night. I would still suggest you buy it despite its few flaws, unless you enjoy mindlessly staring at your television.