OMG Full Of Vigor!

Although the critics grouse, Silent Hill’s real strength comes with how it wears its videogame roots on its sleeve. The first hour and a half or so of the movie almost perfectly nails the atmosphere, pacing, and structure of the first game in the series. Watching that portion of the movie is as close as one can get to playing the games without actually playing them. That this is achieved within the constraints of Hollywood movie-making is remarkable; the problem is that while the film succeeds as an adaptation, it fails as cinema. The world of Silent Hill is vividly brought to life on screen, only to be squandered on schlocky storytelling. Character motivation is weak, the town’s backstory is both unclear and over-explained, and one particular sequence towards the end nearly undermines what the rest of the film sets up. The pieces are fine; they're just not assembled with much skill for cinematic narrative.

Silent Hill is not a step forward for being the first “good” videogame-based movie; by most accounts, it is not. Rather, it is the first movie of its kind that is poised to play an active role in broadening its intended audience. The non-gamer who comes to see Silent Hill unprepared may be confused and disappointed by the film’s seemingly tacked-on and incongruous ending. However, there is also the hope that this viewer will be enticed by what makes the Silent Hill games – and videogames at large – such compelling works of entertainment. If the movie succeeds in this regard, its true value lies not in its box office returns, but in how it points towards using film adaptations as a tool for expanding and enriching the market.

What’s also promising is how series producer/composer Akira Yamaoka took such an active role in the film’s development. He is reportedly so pleased with the results that he intends to incorporate a good chunk of material from the film into the recently-announced PSP remake of the original game. This sort of creative feedback loop (the film takes most of its inspiration from the first game, which in turn was inspired by horror films of the past) is unprecedented, and may provide a blueprint for the future of successful movie-to-game adaptations and vice-versa.

Adorable.

# posted by magusart @ 10:52 PM