Silent Hill Blu-ray Disc Review

Buy This Blu-ray Disc Now By Clicking On The Icon Below!

Title: Silent Hill

Region: A

Media: Blu-ray Disc

Genre: Horror

Stars: Radha Mitchell, Sean Bean, Laurie Holden, Deborah Kara Unger, Kim Coates, Tanya Allen, Jodelle Ferland

Writer: Roger Avary

Based On The Game Created By: Konami

Director: Christophe Gans

Feature length: 125 minutes

Extras: Preview Trailers

Languages: English PCM 5.1 Uncompressed Surround Sound and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound

Subtitles: English Subtitles For The Deaf And Hearing Impaired and English Subtitles

Packaging: Blue BD Case

Chapter Stops: 16

Sound: PCM 5.1 Uncompressed Surround Sound and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound

Year of Theatrical Release: 2006/Blu-ray Disc Release: 2006

Theatrical Distributor: TriStar Pictures

Home Video Distributor: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

MPAA Rating: R

Reviewer: Mark A. Rivera

I vaguely remember seeing commercial for Silent Hill the video game on TV and I just shrugged it off as just another game with zombies and monsters since now more than ever perhaps, the market is flooded with them. Then when I saw the theatrical trailer for Silent Hill, I thought those creatures in the movie look weird, but again I just shrugged it off as another movie based on a game. There have been a few films based on games that were entertaining. I like the original Mortal Kombat and enjoyed both Resident Evil films, but for every good or decent film inspired by a video game, there seem to be at least five really bad ones. So when I screened Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s upcoming Blu-ray Disc edition of Silent Hill I had low expectations. I am actually glad I did not know much about the game at all, because it actually made the entire Blu-ray Disc movie viewing experience even more consuming. Silent Hill is actually one of the best movies based on a video game I have ever seen and it works very well even if you do not know anything about the game. As a horror film, it is quite scary and features some amazing special effects. In addition the film is not at all about zombies coming back to life to feed on the living. There are no zombies in Silent Hill. Instead there are some of the most grotesque demonic creatures I have ever seen since Jacob’s Ladder and after watching the film I found myself researching the game online to gain a better perspective of what I saw and what the creatures featured in the film are supposed to be.

After watching the film as a whole, some things will click with observant viewers right away as to what some of these demons are supposed to be though not all can be explained away and it shouldn’t be since it adds to the whole disturbing factor and mystique of the film. The creatures move in bizarre ways and make harsh screaming or gurgling sounds and I have to say that if I were a kid watching this movie, I’d be afraid to go to bed at night because these visions are terrifying. So it comes to know surprise that at least on my Samsung Blu-ray Disc Player BD-P1000, I had to set the parental controls complete with a password in order to watch this film because otherwise the Sony disc in the player assumes you are too young to see it. I’m not even married so I found the whole having to set the parental control settings a bit of a pain, but it only takes about a minute once you know what you are doing. Now I must note that this may be the default setting on my player and not the disc itself. I have watched lots of films on the Samsung BD-P1000, but this was the first time I ever had to set the parental viewing settings in order to watch a film. Good thing though because if I had a kid, I would never want him or her to see this at an early age because I have no doubt even though as an adult I could sleep after seeing the film, children will definitely pester their parents and keep them awake reassuring them that there is man with a triangle head and a huge cutting knife waiting to get them under their beds. So parents with young kids take note – Silent Hill is definitely not intended for kids. Not only will your children sleep better at night, but you will too.

The story begins with a mother and father, played by Radha Mitchell and Sean Bean, whose child sleep walks at night and has nightmares about a place called Silent Hill. She even has hellish drawings of places she has never been. Against her husband’s wishes, the mother takes her child to Silent Hill, which according to folklore is supposed to be one of the most haunted spots on the planet. Built around a coal mine, the town’s inhabitants had to be evacuated when a coalmine fire raged out of control with toxic ash raining down upon the streets like snow. Many of the town’s inhabitants died and since then there have been disappearances and all roads that lead into Silent Hill have been blocked or paved over. It doesn’t even appear on any authorized maps and the people from neighboring areas refuse to speak of it and act a bit peculiar toward outsiders too. Evading a traffic cop on a motorcycle because she has taken her child without her husband’s consent and he is now out to get them both back, the mother gets into an accident and awakes in the ash covered Silent Hill with no way to start her car and her daughter missing. After hearing what sounds like fallout alarms, she has her first encounter with the darkness and just barely survives long enough for the light to return after being attacked by deformed howling demons. The cop appears to have made it into Silent Hill too and despite having an apparent head injury from the cycle accident, is still fit enough for duty to arrest the mother and attempt to take her into custody. Unfortunately the road they came in is gone and after coming into contact with another demon in the light that spits corrosive oil that eats through anything it touches, the two are forced to take refuge in Silent Hill while looking for the missing girl and trying to survive the darkness. This leads to a multi-layered secret behind what has really happened and what must happen if anyone is ever to get out of Silent Hill and find peace.

I wish I could go into detail about the film’s storyline because it is very interesting, but I fear revealing spoilers that could ruin the fun of discovering the truth behind the horror for one’s self. To be released day and date with a DVD counterpart, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s Blu-ray Disc edition of Silent Hill is presented in a 16 by 9 (2.35:1) widescreen high definition presentation with a maximum resolution of 1080p where available. The film has three distinct looks to it that mirrors the three different worlds of the film. So when in one place, everything seems somewhat cheery, sunny, and full of natural color while in another place, everything is muted and hazy and in another everything is very dark with a mix of gray and black hues and volcanic and blood reds and so forth. The state of the art CGI effects come off fantastic, but at times it seems that some the detail gets lost with some blocky scenes that detract from the overall visually stylistic tone of the film. Silent Hill was directed by Christophe Gans (Brotherhood Of The Wolf) with a screenplay by Academy Award® winning writer and director in his own right Roger Avary (Killing Zoe). I think it is the combined vision of these filmmakers that keep Silent Hill from becoming juvenile and predictable. There are a lot of subtle film references to be found that no doubt would relay inspirations for the film, but unfortunately to discuss them I feel would spoil the film. I think horror film fans will pick them up right away though.

This is a film that absolutely must be heard in PCM 5.1 Uncompressed Surround Sound and cranked loud for maximum effect because the sound design is equally impressive if not more compelling then the images portrayed in the film. The alternate English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack offered just doesn’t compare in my opinion. English Subtitles for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired are encoded on to the Blu-ray Disc along with English Subtitles as options too. The interactive menu navigation, which can be activated while the film is in progress, is easy to use and works fine. Unfortunately there is no extra value materials related to film at all on this disc, which I think is wrong because at the very least the theatrical trailer for the film one is watching should be included for every release regardless of the media. Instead widescreen trailers with 5.1 Surround Sound for Basic Instinct 2 (2:21), Underworld Evolution (2:21), and Resident Evil Apocalypse (2:29) are provided.

Despite the lack of extra value materials, the sound quality alone makes Silent Hill worthwhile to checkout and even demo for guests. Silent Hill will debut on Blu-ray Disc on Tuesday, August 22, 2006 courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

Return To The Previous Page

Buy This Blu-ray Disc Now By Clicking On The Icon Below!