sure, i'll post my opinion here .. i just hope i get to see it on the big screen 1st.

most of the people i know wouldnt see a horror movie - except one .. and he's got the scheduling difficulties.

i do like atmospheric films .. they dont always have to make sense if they can maintain a cool trippy dreamlike reality and present me with some otherworldly visuals.

i dont like just anything like this .. i have some kind of unknown criteria i cant articulate preprogrammed into my acceptability matrix (i sound like Data) ...

its hard to put a finger on it .. it depends on pacing, subtleties, a lot of little things that need to fall into place in a way that personally appeals to me.


I think i've almost come up with a definition/equation for what makes a movie more style over substance by the way ..


based on something like this :

the more content that is presented in the movie for the viewer - rather than the players in the film ... is the balance of style over substance.

for example :

in Ju-on, or the Grudge :

the elevator scene where the woman is ascending to her floor to get to her apartment ... the cat/boy is on every floor.
She doesnt know that - but we do.
moment like that benefits us the audience - not the characters.... so thats 100% style.

if its handled properly - i love it.

if it has a ham-fisted approach by a director that doesnt understand how to pace or measure these moments - the movie fails.

To tell you the truth, i even think the boogeyman was better than this one.

Wise words, I think that if the films are good for those that never had played the games that means that the director has done right his work, I don't care another game fans opinions, if the film doesnt works well for other people that's a bad film, If I wanted just a faithful to the edge adaptation I would play the games again. So if you see the movie please post here your opinion and maybe I give it a chance (It will be on theaters on Spain on July...so take it easy)

I agree with you that the movie should stand on its own apart from the game, though I wish the RESIDENT EVIL makers would have stuck to the game for their story (the games' stories were much better than the movie, IMO). For what i's worth, Jacob, my reaction wasn't influenced by the games; I hated the games, so I didn't go into it wanting it to be like or not like the games. I just hoped it was BETTER than the games. It wasn't. I thought the story pacing and development sucked in the game and in the movie both. And even the review of the gamer I linked to said that the movie was nearly impossible to understand even with a good understanding of the game...much less without one.

A child is missing, and her mother wants to find her...other than that, I couldn't make much sense out of any of it.

I guess I can't stop bashing this movie just because I can't believe how much it sucked. I guess I need to write that damn review already and get it out of my system.

DOUH
...sorry I'm a big fan of the games and those words hurts....but yeah, games and films are different "mediums", so it doesn't means that if something works for one would work as well for the other

Y'know, this movie's growing on me. There are a few scenes that had be inching in my chair, and not a lot of movies can do that for me nowadays. The scene in the bathroom especially worked on me.

The film's just a bit slow-paced. The Sean Bean scenes (and this KILLS me to say it) were useless... didn't have to be in the movie whatsoever. A moody horror flick that relies on atmosphere and pacing can't be over 2 hours long, it just can't.

And as an avid fan of ALL the games, I can say (at least visually) this movie is extremely faithful. In the one scene where the mother is running down the alley, this is STRAIGHT out of the first game (when she runs past the garage). I couldn't believe it. And let's not forget the babies... STRAIGHT out of the game. Plus the grainy filter that was put over the film was an awesome touch too.

Urge, I'm gonna strongly suggest this flick for ya. NOW you can see it, as I have given my approval.

Ok the visual part works well, but do you said about the plot?
What is all the shit about that theres no cult just christian fanatics burning witches? One of the best things on the games is the Silent Hill's cult with their desire to awake the old cult's god (a great reference to Cthulu's mythos)

True, but I still like what they did with the movie's plot.

SPOILER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!SPOILER

The fact that all those people thought they were staying alive by their faith, when in fact they were in a never-ending limbo was a really great idea. Meanwhile the mother is working under the principle of love for her daughter, and not faith in herself or any God.

I wouldn't want every thing from the game to be in the movie, then I'd know what's going to happen.

way to long, it could have been edited down a bit, like maybe to a half hour! the plot sucks , the acting sucks, hmmm what else, oh yeah it just sucks!

Couldn't agree more!

And the cult "storyline"? That consists pretty much of all the members running around yelling, "She's a witch, burn her!" "She's a witch, too! Burn her!" "Witch! Burn her!"

That's a STORYLINE? P-U-L-L-L-EAZE!!!

"It's SILENT HILL! Burn it!"

That's just unreasonable.

links plzzzzzz

ok .. finally - i'm seeing this bad boy tonight at last.

dont waste your money.

great movie - fucking loved it.
only chance was last night at 10:10 so it was 10:20 by the time it started. I was tired as hell but the movie kept me awake.

vidually stunning .. lots of tension - solid performances.

I agree with a review i heard that said the movie is hurt when the events are explained near the end .. it harshed the whole trip - took you out of the moment ... but up til that point the movie was gorgeous to look at - left me with several memorable moments.

i thought the ending was cool too....(the very end)

didnt regret that a bit and I'll be getting the DVD when it comes out too.

Cool as I've said, I will give it a change

I think it was better than the boogeyman, the boogeyman absolutely sucked, I liked the ending of Silent hill, just because of the barbwire. it was a good movie but it's not one of my favourites....Oh wait, I guess I have no favourites for real at all.

After all the other computer related movies come out (most were below average), this one tries and succedes on many levels.

Many of this years releases are all remakes or borrows from other films.

Whilst this borrows from the game, it still shows some originality.

Maybe you would have prefered another Resident Evil movie?

Not against that in my opinion. I actually enjoyed the second more than the first on a lot of levels.

I actually quite like them and Alone in the Dark, but i accept that they wasn't very well recieved.

I just hope I never have to see Pac Man the Movie... That is just wrong

:eek:

Someone liked that movie! The world really is coming to an end!

hmmm, I read (somewhere) that there is another resident evil, can't remember the name tho, 3movies whoohoo, well hope this one's the best.

Nope, just would have preferred a movie with a sensible plot, characters who weren't so f-ing stupid I didn't give a crap about them, and an ending that was not a contrived, overdone duplicate of that in movies like :o THE SIXTH SENSE, THE OTHERS, and STAY. :o Both RE and SH happened to lack all of those elements, particularly SILENT HILL.

Sure the atmosphere, setting, and eye candy looked great, but to me, that's not enough to make a movie, and I'm not alone in this theory. Case in point in a different genre--WHAT DREAMS MAY COME. It had Robin Williams, whom most moviegoers loved, and settings and scenes that were drop-dead gorgeous but still flopped. Why? Like SILENT HILL, WHAT DREAMS MAY COME was, as one professional critic put it, "Beautiful to look at, but dumb as dust." To me, SH was basically WDMC the horror version.

there are definately a lot of people who prefer substance over style. it's about 1/2 and 1/2.

i always found that kind of funny in the horror genre where reality often is thrown out by the very nature of the plot itself.

i dont believe in ghosts. so by that token i should see any movie with a ghost as fanciful fluff (if i was of that mind set). There are a lot of people who do feel this way.

But - because i do like stylistic movies and using my imagination - i can go with them - if they are well made.

I dont need everything explained for me .. i can enjoy a visual trip
If i expected everything to make sense there would be very few movies to chose from and definatelly nothing in the horror genre where everything is 100% bullshit to begin with.
(except fear itself.... although even thinking about that - irrational fear is bullshit too .. it's not like there is anything in a movie to be truely afraid of - it aint real)

I dont know why/where people draw their lines of 'whats acceptable' in the sand. I cant even define my own level of acceptability - other than this : if it is visually interesting, the acting is decent ... the pacing is appropriate ,,etc .. then its a good experince for me.

After seeing Silent Hill I left that theatre with some strong and lasting visual images. I cant think of many other horror films in ages that has done that for me..

has anyone ever seen a horror movie that was 100% perfect made and unique, no I don't think so, maybe in the 60's or something, or when they started to make movies even if they were in black and white.

I think many movies are nice to look at, i don't think things thru like the story itself or a good ending, if I have to judge all of that, I'd better don't see any movie again, man that would be bored, being disappointed everytime you see a movie :s, ok mostly that is the case lol but not with every movie, not when I just look at the effects and graphics.

Actually, call me too picky, but I prefer movies with both. If a movie does have substance and story but lacks style, I also don't like it. Examples: 28 DAYS LATER, which had a story, but the lighting, camera angles, and poor diction got on my last nerve; and some movie I can't remember the name of about a "Poe" serial killer killing his victims in the pattern of Poe stories. Great, original concept and story, but the acting and camera work were so bad that I couldn't get through it.

You should start, Dude. I believe in them, and it opens up whole new worlds. It's almost like the age-old horror genre addage (sp.?), you can't see it unless you believe. Not that I've actually ever SEEN a ghost, but in believing they do exist, I've had a few supernatural experiences myself, and know others who likewise have.


I do. I think it's a sign of superior thought, creativity, and storytelling on the part of the author/screenwriter. Then again, maybe that's the writer in me. I just appreciate stuff that makes me think.


Gotta butt heads with you a bit on that one. I think there are a lot of horror movies out there that do make sense and have realistic element: THE EXORCIST and THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE, for starters, which are loosely based on an actual possession and deals with the Devil, which I also believe exists. AMYTIVILLE HORROR (the original), THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, and THE HILLS HAVE EYES are also believable premises, demons (which I believe exist) and crazy people/cannibals (I believe their is no limit to the level of craziness other people can dish out. There are some really f-ed up folks out there.), again all loosely based on true incidents. Others that aren't based on true stories but which still had believable premises to me include SAW and SAW II, WITCHBOARD, and THE DEVIL'S REJECTS. Even HOUSE OF 1,000 CORPSES was believable, with perhaps exception of the zombie scene.

I think its personal differences in taste. For me, while something making sense AND having good style should both be present, I need one other element even more. When I see/read something, I need to get a chill down my spine, or at least some sort of emotional reaction. I know that may be simple/and or abstract, but that's what does it for me. If I get "my chill," I can often enjoy movies that lack in one or even both of the other elements. With SILENT HILL, as you may have guessed, no chill, and with the messy plot, I just couldn't get into it.

That actually happened for me with THE DEVIL'S REJECTS, the new THE HILLS HAVE EYES, and HOUSE OF 1,000 CORPSES. With the zombie films in particular, I was seeing those images in my mind's eye for months afterward. But I also thought both of those movies had the elements of substance and style as well.

I'm glad you posted your reaction, Urgeok. Even though we disagree on this film, it has been fun debating and discussing it. :cool:

thats what we're here for ..


i definately do not believe in ghosts, goblins, witches(magic), vampires, leprechauns, faeries, ents, or anything else like that.

I'm not a kid - (i'm 45) and i have a philosophy why these things exist in the minds and hearts of others but thats another lengthy discussion. So we can't go there with any success ...

it doesnt ruin the movie going experience for me .. i still enjoy the fantasy battles between good and evil, etc ..

I am able to see a film the way some of us view other visual art ..
i can dig the view even if i dont understand the personal vision of the person who created it. Some art is photorealistic bateman, others are dreamscapes by Dali, others are far more surreal and abstract than that. Some will appeal to me - some wont - based on my personal sense of taste.

there is certainly no universal right or wrong with this issue ...
its a pure and simple case of 'whatever floats your boat'


What Dreams May Come .. i saw this .. didnt think it was great but i did enjoy some of the visuals ... nothing as striking as the creatures in Silent Hill though ..

A bit of an unfair comparrison though .. on one hand - how much does one expect from a video game adaptation ... on the other .. you're dealing with the expectations that you'd get from a Richard Matheson story. you're under a microscope ..mess with that even slightly and suffer the wrath of fanboys.

one last thing to address .. re not caring about the characters in Silent Hill :

the most terrifying part of the whole movie for me (and what made me buy into it) was the daughter standing on the edge of the cliff.
this hit me on a personal level because - being a father of a 5 year old - you fear for their safety always and sometimes i have the morbid habit of picturing us in horrifying scenarios - where he's in danger and i cant help him .. and the cliff edge thing is one of them. (i'm afraid of heights)

So from there we have a conflict - a mother afraid to lose her child because of this condition (seperation, and/or the loss of sanity)

My kid is a busy kid .. ADD has been suggested many a time. In the past similar cases were dealt with with drugs .. something i would refuse to do (you never want to see your childs personality change - even if he can be a (well meaning) imp.

so on top of that you have a dad who lost both wife and daughter ...

I cant connect with devils and ghosts but i certainly can identify with loss and separation ...


(honestly - there's no such things as ghosts - Kairo suggested as a plot device ... if you think about all the people who've died .. why arent we overrun .. why is it the people i wouldnt trust with a plastic spoon the only ones who see the friggin things ?? ghosts, ufos ... keebler elves ...its all the same to me)

Ghosts are just.... not real...

So we have over a 500 page novel by Richard Matheson as background Vs 4 computer games that have been translated from Japenese as background?

My point was that out of all the computer related games that this appeared to be the best out there (considering House Of The Dead & Mortal Kombat).

If you have ever played the games through to get all the endings, you will know that you are left to your own perspective to what is the real ending.

As an example in the first it could have been A Cult, Aliens & even Drug related as to which you wanted to believe responsible for the first game.

How many films are made now that are original in the horror genere? They all borrow from each other or are remakes just now.

I look for enjoyment in what I watch and not alot else. The plot can be cheese, the actors just wrong and shot by an amateur who is drunk. But none of it matters if you enjoy the movie.

Was SH goofy? Yes. Was the plot a little formulaic? Yes. Did the wart in between the main characters eyebrows bother me? Definitely. Was I entertained? Absolutely. Sometimes you just have to let the little trivialities go and ride the ashy flow...For every excellent horror movie that's released there are three goofy ones, personally I can laugh at the script that was probably written by the guy who used to make those stupid old navy commercials and still enjoy the movie...

it was a bad movie I though for sure it would be good but that is only my opinion

Being unique individuals, our tastes in movies esp horror movies are different also. No two people will agree that the same movie which one liked would be liked by the other. Some people prefer a more realistic story, others like visuals, narration, atmosphere, characterisation, acting, sound effects etc. All the categories into which movie-making can be divided, can be evenly distributed into the choices of the viewers too.

Coming to Silent Hill, and comparing it with other recent game-to-movie adaptations, I would say its a much much better offering. The tenseness and the atmosphere have been more than adequately handled, and I loved the way sound has been used in the movie. And most of the monster sequences were actually good, although the movie could have done without the Sean Bean character (dont think it was in the game either). The story stayed faithful to the game, and the pace of the movie was excellently perfect. I would give it a 07/10, just cuz it has its share of flaws too...

I have already mentioned the first weak point, second has to be the sequence nearing the climax where so many explanations have to be given for the movie to move into the next frame...maybe the makers thought that this should be done for people who didnt play the game, but 90% of the people who went to see the movie have either played or knew about the game before. Unsaid stuff in movies is rare, like the climax of Se7en...but I guess they all cant be THAT perfect...

But compared to House of the Dead, Resident Evil 1 @ 2, and the rest...Silent Hill sure comes out a winner by a mile...

Hopefully Uwe watches the movie and takes notes...

I still think Resident evil was a pretty decent movie... Both of them in fact.

RE1 was good...definite 07/10 movie...but RE2 fell below 1's standards...they wasted a perfect group of characters by a really weak story...

Nemesis looked much better in RE3 the game, and everytime he popped onto my screen I was like "f*** he's back n I gotta take him out again!" but in the movie...blah...

I thought RE2 was better than the first movie actually.

Yeah, poor old Nemesis in RE2 looked like they took The Toxic Avenger and stuffed him in Patrick Stewart's old Borg suit...

:eek: :eek: :eek:

oh my god, i thought it was so bad i wanted to gouge my eyes out ! only one other movie has ever done that to me... *bows head in shame*... "honey" with jessica alba.

RE2 sucked...period. RE1 was a way better offering.

Strangely, recent horror flicks dont have horror in em anymore. Just watch em for the cgi and sound effects, and the action, what with Blade, Underworld, RE1 & 2, Van Helsing, HellBoy, Amityville(new), Freddy vs Jason, Alien vs Predator etc. redefining the genre.

Thought horror meant scary. Something which would scare the pants off the audience. Are the makers running out of steam? or is the genre gonna be merged into Action/Sci-Fi?

I havent seen a single recent movie which has made me scared. Last one which had that effect on me was Se7en's climax, and that was quite a while back.

Thought the Creeper held some promise, and hoping pt.3 will make some horror sense...

i thought RE1 was entertaining .. and RE2 was poop.
I wont elaborate why because I've done so in about 3 other threads.

The majority of the movie you mentioned arent even intended to be horror. The majority are action movies, pure and simple, with a few elements of horror. The only real horror on your list is Amityville, Freddy vs Jason, and MAYBE Alien vs Predator. The rest, despite having horror themes such as zombies, vampires and demons, are strictly action. Horror movies are still being made, they're just going downhill. Action filmmakers are realising that horror sells, and adding themes to their movies, often with some degree of success. I dont really kow where Im going with this, I just wanted to point it out...