Silent Hill

Having a movie based on a popular video game seems a good idea at the time of conception, it has an established storyline and a built in fan base that will most likely enjoy the film. And if the tale transfers to the big screen well enough there is always the possibility of a franchise option. Yet more times than not when this has been done the results aren't exactly promising, there have been more failures than winners, and unfortunately this one was a letdown. That's not to say it isn't worth watching, as long as you don't expect a lot then you won't be disappointed. Here the horror survival game Silent Hill is the next attempt at moving a story from game to film, and unfortunately it doesn't quite make the grade.
Determined to save her ill adoptive daughter, Rose travels with her to West Virginia to a ghost town called Silent Hill and lands in a parallel reality where the spirits of the past are tormented for their sins. Trying extremely hard to fit into the Japanese horror genre it falls short, there are glimmers of possible frightening parts but they never materialize to the point of causing terror in the audience. The effects that are used for the world's transformation from light to darkness are well done and some of the characters that live within the Darkness are well crafted, but there isn't enough interaction with them to make them terrifying. The haziness of the parallel reality is a little tough on the eyes and sometimes you can't even see what the characters are looking at, which becomes another drawback that you get tired of pretty quick.
I for one have never played the Silent Hill video game, and I believe that at times not being exposed to the original format of a story could help in seeing beyond the faults, where die hard fans would pick apart the smallest of flaws. But here the story is not good enough to capture the interest of even a non-fan of the game. The set up of the storyline ends with the hopes of a sequel and possible franchise, but unless the story is beefed up it will become a waste of time and money to continue. It was interesting to see the concept of the game put on film, and I could say that I enjoyed watching it this once, but to watch it again I have no interest in.