Silent Hill Revelations 3D

The thought of a game turned movie is one that is rarely not followed by a warning and cautionary tales or given a positive reception. Gamers, ranging from hardcore to casual, have all at one time or another seen at least one of their beloved franchises enter the realm of the Hollywoods big screen. However that initial feeling of excitement and unique appreciation are soon, if not immediately, overshot by fear and the painful reminder that what usually emerges is a film so stomach turning, one would wish that he/she was the only person to ever play said title in efforts to keep their little ‘gem’ away from the desecration of mainstream media.

 

 

As Chocolate Lemon’s Official Silent Hill Resident (feel free to challenge), I felt it was only right to bring a couple of things to attention with the little time we have left before the release of Silent Hill Revelation 3D later this year. First and for the record, I enjoyed the first Silent Hill film in 2006.

 

 

*NOTE* Despite the reviews, mainstream movie go-ers and what film critics said, let’s keep in mind that just like any other video game movie, THIS IS NOT FOR YOU! I cannot count how many clowns gave the movie a low score for the “Derp, I don’t get it!?!?” factor . If you can’t pinpoint when the song ‘Letter From Lost Days’ was played during the film, you are too far out the circle to ride this ride! I will respect a low score from someone who actually knows the game and background over the clown audience who still to this day struggles with the concept of the film Inception.

 

 

 

 

The problem with games of a cult following is the Catch 22 heavy demand we place of wanting progression without change and not understanding that one cannot exist without the other (look at Modern Warfare 2 & 3 …Hangover 1 & 2).  Aww, you mad?

 

Director and long time fan of the Silent Hill game series, Christoph Gans did an amazing job of not only realizing this but also incorporating it into the film along side writer Roger Avery. The initial idea was to make it as pinpoint accurate to the actual story, feel and lore of the SH franchise as possible without stripping it of its identity like most Hollywood films tend to do when they say “we want film rights to your product”. However this goal can quickly take an “arrow to the knee” in as early of a development stage as its cast selection. For example let’s take Radha Mitchell who played as main character Rose Da Silva and mother of Sharon. Now we, for the most part I hope, know that the first Silent Hill was a story of a father in search of his lost daughter in a creepy foggy town after a random car accident, so why the gender change? Why not keep everything the same as it was meant to be right?

 

Gans took a chance as well as some liberties while being smart enough to understand that as a player, your in game control over the character can create that connection of a father in search of his lost daughter much faster than simply viewing a movie and being on the outside looking in, holding the same question any movie viewer holds towards the cast “Why should I care about these characters ?”. Well, a talented female lead naturally has a much more effective way of visually translating the emotions of confusion, fear, despair etc. long before it’s too late to gain our attention in comparison to a majority of the male counterpart.

 

 

It’s subtle decisions like these that were highly appreciated among the target audience and made the film enjoyable. The decision to have both mother and father hold a physical presence in the film also served as a great way to contrast the two in the sense mentioned above and further supports his decision in the gender change. Silent Hill’s strongest roles have always been dominated by females, a trend also kept in tact in the movie by amazing supporting roles (just to name a few stand outs) such as Laurie Holden (Cybil), Deborah Kara Unger (Dhalia) and the amazing Jodelle Ferland who played a better Sharon(Cheryl)/Alessa than could have ever been hoped for.

 

 

 

 

*Fun Fact* I actually got pissed when Jodelle Ferland was killed off towards the end of Twilight: Breaking Dawn 1 just because she stole my heart as Sharon/Alessa in Silent Hill.

 

 

This great cast in conjunction with faithful artistic direction heavily faithful to the games are what made the film an overall success in the transition from game to film and landing it a spot among Hollywoods top 10 video game adaptation list (these are facts). Gans and Avery did of course take liberties with certain aspects of the film such as the visual of Grey Child and people of The Order to name a few but for the most part, they all went off well executed.

 

 

There is great deal of excitement towards the next film, Revelation 3D, for these reasons and an array others. At the same time these reasons also create a fear that any movie is subject to which is the sequel completely falling off course and killing whatever was established in the first. Some things have already raised my brow towards where the direction of the movie might be headed, such as Gans and Avery no longer being a part of the movie due to a stupid case of vehicular manslaughter by Avery 2008. Michael J. Bassett will talk the helm of both writer and director this turn around. My concern is what exactly does this mean if he doesn’t possess the same passion and respect for the Silent Hill universe as Gans did and how will this translate into the film?

 

 

 

Revelations follows the Silent Hill storyline canon of 1 and 3′s connection, picking up with the now eighteen year old Heather. While Silent Hill 3 is only slightly less popular to 2, due to 2 being most fans entry into the series, SH3 holds what I believe to be the strongest fan base of them all. That said, Bassett is due for a sure fire miss should he go into this project without thorough and proper knowledge of the game similar to that of Gans and Avery. Although there is currently little evidence which heavily proves or disproves his alliance, there are some small concrete details that put a little ease to the mind in the trailer. Also, in casting Heather, Bassett did post online that he held no reservations against the communities opinion on who should play the role, only under the stipulation that the person had to have experience prior to suggestion. Chosen for the role, young actress Adelaide Clemens seems to pull the Heather look off pretty well and mention of locales like Lakeside Amusement Park indicates that there is some conscience level of care being put into the film.

 

 

If nothing else we can take comfort in knowing that regardless of some bumps, they have decided to go on with finishing the film and that says A LOT in the entertainment industry. Hopefully it’s due to a large backing of the game and the original film because there are plenty of titles which have the actually hold strong support from it’s community and yet still never see the light of day. Need an example? Go ahead and google “Megaman Legends 3″…. I’ll wait………..(YEAH, sad isn’t it?)

 

 

The rest of our answers lye within the film itself until release which is still TBA. And I will be first in line to give you an accurate analysis, spoiler free of course.