SILENT HILL: REVELATION

Silent Hill: Revelation 3D(15)

Director: Michael J Bassett
Screenplay: Michael J Bassett
Starring: Adelaide Clemens, Kit Harrington
Prepare for a 3D ride through hell

Film versions of video games are pretty much expected to be disappointing.  The film versions of horror video games are even more pointless. You’ve only got to look at Uwe Boll’s output, and the occasional US effort like 2005’s “Doom”, to be convinced of that. The only real exception to that rule has been the “Resident Evil” franchise. However, this has only remained fairly popular as it has created its own rules and story outside of the games, headlines an engaging heroine, and rode on the 3D revival wave. One film generally overlooked is the 2006 film version of “Silent Hill”, which was directed by Christophe Gans (“Brotherhood of the Wolf”) and written by Quentin Tarantino’s chum Roger Avary. Based on the Konami series of survival horror games, it remained very true to the imagery and narrative of those, with some noteworthy actors (Radha Mitchell, Alice Krige, etc.). It received mixed reviews, but actually made double its budget and was considered an underrated success. Rumours of an immediate sequel were rife, but it wasn’t until six years later that “Silent Hill: Revelation” hit the cinema circuit.

A direct sequel to the original “Silent Hill”, “Revelation” follows the mis-fortunes of Heather Mason (played by Adelaide Clemens) and her connection to the cursed town of Silent Hill. Well … I say Heather Mason … her real name is actually Sharon Da Silva. She changes her name on a regular basis, as she moves towns on a regular basis with her father to stay one step ahead of a murderous cult. Her father (played by Sean Bean, returning from the first film, complete with a dodgy US accent) was Christopher Da Silva, but now goes by the name of Harry Mason, to avoid the police due to a murder he committed in self-defence. Heather has no memory of her childhood because she was in a car accident … except she wasn’t … as she was trapped in an alternate hell-ish dimension in Silent Hill. She was freed by her mother, with a magic medallion, and finds out that … No! No more!  I’m losing the will to live! As you can see, the story is a convoluted mess. The whole plot seems to be constructed to include as many references to characters, story, and images from the games as possible. In fact, a major plot point is the Heather receiving the same body-warmer that she wore in the game “Silent Hill 3”. I kid you not! Imagine all that information above (and much, much, more) being thrown at you in minute long info-dumps and flashbacks, as part of the script by the poor cast. I kept expecting Michael York as Basil Exposition from the Austin Powers movies to wander in, and give us another plot-point! In a nutshell: Heather must journey to Silent Hill and face her true identity and destiny.

As you may have gathered, the film is a mess, and not an enjoyable one. Directed (and written) by Michael J.Bassett (“Death-watch”, “Solomon Kane”) its slavish desire to represent all facets of the video games destroys any sense of danger and alienates anybody not familiar with the mythology or concepts. The imagery is there and a still a little bit cool, but is ultimately wasted. One iconic villainous figure becomes a hero at the last minute. A creepy spider-like creature made of mannequin parts, is knackered by an over-dose of the CGI’s. Apart from Heather, all the other characters are cyphers and are instantly forgettable. Carrie-Anne Moss appears as the cult leader, and appears to be auditioning for the part of Legolas from the “Lord of the Rings” movies!  Malcolm McDowell also cameos as a character in an asylum. He is chained throughout the performance; I would guess this was to prevent him from taking the money and running for it! The 3D is also wasted (surprise!!). Apart from a nifty bit where severed fingers fly out of the screen, and a stunning shot of Silent Hill’s high street as Heather walks down it (a real feeling of depth, as oppose to something poked in your face!), it is entirely redundant.

By far the best thing about the film is the Aussie actress Adelaide Clemens. Looking like a teenage Kirsten Dunst, and acting her socks off, she is in practically every shot of the film. As Heather, she is believable and both feisty and vulnerable. You really wish she was in a better film! Better known for her role in the BBC’s “Parades End”, she would make a fine action heroine or genre leading lady, and will be seen (hopefully as such) in the new “Mad Max” movie with Tom Hardy.

One other noteworthy scene involves the ubiquitous melty-faced nurses, which are irreversibly connected with Silent Hill. The protagonists are trapped in a room with multiple versions of these monsters at one point. Their stop/start jerky attacks are triggered by noise, and their escape from the room is the only moment of tension in the whole film. It’s sort of reminiscent of the “Blind Dead” films … although that’s probably a bit of a stretch!

The film ends with a couple of hints, that with further sequels, more game elements and characters would be followed. Due to the poor quality of this film, I’m hoping that this will not be the case. Initial Box office takings in the US, would also suggest as much.
Nice try, but no more Silent’s please ….