Return to Silent Hill is a Beautiful Mess
Christophe Gans returns to the fog
Genre: Horror
The Silent Hill games are getting a bit of a second life right now, which is comforting considering Konami’s historical talent for stabbing its own franchise in the face.
And in the new movie Return to Silent Hill, Christophe Gans is back, and if you didn’t know, he directed the 2006 Silent Hill movie without making me wish I had better things to do, as it was actually pretty decent.
And this one is loosely based on Silent Hill 2, the crown jewel, which sets expectations so high, but the film doesn’t try to be a literal game translation.
Good
Jeremy Irvine is solid enough.
Familiar characters have new quirks.
Visuals hit nods to the games.
Akira Yamaoka’s music is still unsettling.
Bad
Some dialogue reads like too much like horror Wikipedia entries being shouted at you
Creature design and CGI sometimes wobble between “creepy” and “what were they thinking?”
Eddie hams it up so much you start imagining a Silent Hill improv night
Modernized sets occasionally clash with the oppressive tone.
It’s a bit messy.
It trusts you to hold a little ambiguity, even if it sometimes goes too far
James Sunderland spirals into Silent Hill after receiving a mysterious letter, and things are off immediately, as the town has changed - or maybe James has.
Characters from the game appear - Maria, Angela, Eddie, Laura - but slightly off, and I did like seeing familiar faces act unpredictable instead of performing lines I’ve already heard.
Irvine keeps James believable enough without crying into the fog
The acting is a mixed bag here.
Irvine is decent enough, Hannah Emily Anderson as Mary surprises quietly and vulnerably, while Evie Templeton as Laura adds some subtle unpredictability.
But Pearse Egan as Eddie hams it up so hard I half-expected him to start juggling fog monsters.
The CGI and creature design are also a mixed bag, but this time more negative than positive - Pyramid Head, and Maria’s wig sometimes make you blink and ask if anyone checked the mirror before filming.
But the fog feels like a sentient menace, and the music is still brilliant though, so that’s something.
Beautiful, oppressive, occasionally ridiculous
Too much of the dialogue leans on exposition though, which is a bug bear of mine, and certain twists are a bit too obvious, at least for me.
But even with that, and some pacing wobbles, I enjoyed the oppressive atmosphere, and familiar-yet-different characters, and it is something perversely satisfying about it all.
A foggy hug with occasional teeth
Final Verdict
I enjoyed it enough for what it was, despite the missteps, and is worth a look if you like your fog thick and your horror slightly sarcastic.
I can see this not getting overly positive reviews though, and understandbly, andt it isn’t as good as the 2006 Silent Hill Movie though, that’s for sure.
Oh, and if you’re a Silent Hill 2 fan and are expecting it to be like the game storyline, I have some bad news for you…
But, that didn’t bother me too much because I really wasn’t expecting to be, while others will be raging about it, I am sure.