Silent Hill: Revelation

Starring: Adelaide Clemens, Sean Bean, Kit Harington, Deborah Kara Unger, Carrie-Anne Moss, Malcolm McDowell, Radha Mitchell
Directed by: Michael J. Bassett
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
2012

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Heather (Adelaide Clemens) lives with her father (Sean Bean), who tries to protect her from the memory of Silent Hill. However, when it becomes apparent that the forces in the mysterious town will not let them be, Heather is forced to confront her greatest fears and return to Silent Hill.

Review:

Tim: Shockingly, I enjoyed Silent Hill. That movie was so full of creepy atmosphere, and it was so unexpected and different that I had a great time watching it. It surpassed all my expectations, and while not a great movie, it was a solid horror film. For that reason, I was excited to see Silent Hill: Revelation. If the original film pleasantly surprised me, it was certainly possible that this film would do the same. Unfortunately, this film takes the typical sequel route- louder and dumber. This isn't a very good movie at all- it's basically what I feared the original would be.

It boggles my mind how this sequel forgot everything that made the original special. How does this happen again and again? The big strength was the creepy world of Silent Hill that was depicted in the first film- the fog, the ash, the air raid sirens, the coming darkness- it was frightening and cool at the same time. This film focuses far less on those aspects, and far more on the grotesque monsters that inhabit the town. I promise you, that's far less effective.

On a positive note, I will say that I loved how this film continued the story from the original. While the first film didn't exactly leave the door open for a sequel, we do get an explanation for how it all works out. That explanation is implausible and forced, but we at least get it. I loved that this film came out 6 years later, and a similar amount of time has passed in the movie. The little girl from the first film is grown up some, and now she returns to Silent Hill as the protagonist, instead of her mother. That was very cool to see.

Now, let's get back to more negatives. The story in this film felt even more unbelievable than the original. That might not seem possible, but it's all in how you tell the story. We learn more about the cult in the town and why they want Heather to return, but those scenes just felt very forced and silly to me. I had a very hard time buying what I was being told. That's a major flaw of this film. The original was told in such a way that I gladly suspended my disbelief. Here, nothing seemed even remotely believable, so I couldn't take anything seriously. Once we get to Silent Hill, we get scene after scene of Heather interacting with crazy, disgusting creatures. The whole middle of the movie felt soggy and blends together in my mind. There wasn't enough distinct progress being made, no real sense of forward momentum. I felt like we were just going in circles for an extended period of time.

I also hated the obvious uses of cheap 3D that showed up a few times in the film. It might add the smallest bit if you see the film in a 3D theater, but on DVD and in 2D, it just looks stupid. There seemed to be a number of Easter eggs for fans of the video game- I've never played so they were lost on me, but I appreciate the effort for the true hardcore fans (for example, I'm guessing the white jacket means something to the gamers?). Adelaide Clemens was okay in the lead role, but she's not a great actress, and she's no Radha Mitchell. The first film was helped by a strong female lead, and we don't get that here. Kit Harington acted quite terribly here. I never believed him for a second. Sean Bean once again teases us with his presence, but has just about nothing to do int he entire film. I liked seeing Carrie-Anne Moss and Malcolm McDowell, but they were used far too little also. The cast didn't exactly turn in impressive performances.

Ultimately, I was pretty disappointed in Silent Hill: Revelation (terrible name, by the way). This sequel squandered any goodwill from the first film, and I'm not exactly looking forward to more films in this franchise. It was a valiant try, but after this poor film, the franchise should probably just fade away.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 5.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Silent Hill, Resident Evil