This was a movie I was waiting to see ever since I heard it was coming out. Which was like two months before the release. Hehehe. What can I say, I'm way behind in what's happening.
I actually almost forgot to watch this because I've been putting it off until weeks after the release date. The better to avoid people. I only remembered it when I went to see Rurouni Kenshin. Anyway, I think I defeated my purpose by choosing this day of all days to watch this.
I'm guessing this week marks the beginning of Christmas holidays for students because there was a ton of them around. I don't remember seeing that many uniforms outside of popular field trip destinations. But lots of kids and teens mean more cinema patrons. Noisy cinema patrons.
And wtf, a group seated a couple of rows in front of me decided to take pics of themselves in the cinema. With flash. Ok, granted the movie hasn't started yet, still, blind us with flash? The lights were up so I'm sure they could have taken a photo without flash. But why take photos in a theater? First time nyo teh?
One middle-aged guy took a call in the middle of the movie. His ringtone rang clear through the theater and so did his voice. "Hello? Oo... o.." Damn, he didn't even try to keep it down. At one point he said, "...andito nga ako sa movie..." Ay, thank you for informing the rest of the movie theater where you are in case we needed reminding.
Nothing but mumblings, and general squeamishness happened after that, thankfully. This time I was able to significantly tune out everyone else that was there. Helps that it was a horror movie.
Long story short: Heather Mason also known as Sharon also known as Alessa's good side, is moving from town to town with her father to escape people trying to get them. She gets really weird nightmares about a place called Silent Hill. On her first day in her new school, she nearly gets run over, a weirdo tries to talk to her, she gets laughed at in class, meets a new boy (you go girl!), hallucinates in the hallway, gets stalked by the weirdo, sees weirdo get sliced by S&M babe, becomes a person of interest in the weirdo's death, gets blackmailed into going to Silent Hill when her father gets kidnapped, has the police barging into her house, and embarks on a road trip to Silent Hill with the new boy on what is presumably a school night. Wow. And I thought my first days were bad.
While Sharon from the first movie grew up changed names, changed looks and changed actresses, some characters from the first film made a short comeback like her adoptive mother Rose da Silva and Dahlia. New characters are also introduced like new boy Vincent and Leonard.
The story is rushed. I wondered if it's because they're trying to adhere to the story in the games or trying to pack too much in such a short time but whatever it is it didn't flow well. When something does happen the tension is good but it feels like a roller coaster of dullness and intensity.
Being a non-player of the games, the second movie confused me more about the backstory instead of adding to the first. I feel like I need to draw a map. Or some kind of Venn Diagram.
I didn't find the ending satisfying in both movies but at least the first gave a weird twist and it was only unsatisfying because I found it sad. This one was stupid.
Dialogue was a little off at times. Rose da Silva calls Harry "My Love" which didn't fit with her character in my opinion. Dahlia was a great presence in the first and reduced here. Leonard's scene was random. Man, that was vague. Either it really was vague or that I'm deaf, or slow, or all the above. It was aesthetically pleasing, but so abrupt that it was almost pointless.
Much of the atmosphere is lost. The eeriness of the town is lost. It's been replaced by different scenarios that feel out of sync from the first movie. The decayed scenes and rooms are good but they feel disconnected to everything else. I could have been watching a different movie.
I actually almost forgot to watch this because I've been putting it off until weeks after the release date. The better to avoid people. I only remembered it when I went to see Rurouni Kenshin. Anyway, I think I defeated my purpose by choosing this day of all days to watch this.
I'm guessing this week marks the beginning of Christmas holidays for students because there was a ton of them around. I don't remember seeing that many uniforms outside of popular field trip destinations. But lots of kids and teens mean more cinema patrons. Noisy cinema patrons.
And wtf, a group seated a couple of rows in front of me decided to take pics of themselves in the cinema. With flash. Ok, granted the movie hasn't started yet, still, blind us with flash? The lights were up so I'm sure they could have taken a photo without flash. But why take photos in a theater? First time nyo teh?
One middle-aged guy took a call in the middle of the movie. His ringtone rang clear through the theater and so did his voice. "Hello? Oo... o.." Damn, he didn't even try to keep it down. At one point he said, "...andito nga ako sa movie..." Ay, thank you for informing the rest of the movie theater where you are in case we needed reminding.
Nothing but mumblings, and general squeamishness happened after that, thankfully. This time I was able to significantly tune out everyone else that was there. Helps that it was a horror movie.
Long story short: Heather Mason also known as Sharon also known as Alessa's good side, is moving from town to town with her father to escape people trying to get them. She gets really weird nightmares about a place called Silent Hill. On her first day in her new school, she nearly gets run over, a weirdo tries to talk to her, she gets laughed at in class, meets a new boy (you go girl!), hallucinates in the hallway, gets stalked by the weirdo, sees weirdo get sliced by S&M babe, becomes a person of interest in the weirdo's death, gets blackmailed into going to Silent Hill when her father gets kidnapped, has the police barging into her house, and embarks on a road trip to Silent Hill with the new boy on what is presumably a school night. Wow. And I thought my first days were bad.
While Sharon from the first movie grew up changed names, changed looks and changed actresses, some characters from the first film made a short comeback like her adoptive mother Rose da Silva and Dahlia. New characters are also introduced like new boy Vincent and Leonard.
The story is rushed. I wondered if it's because they're trying to adhere to the story in the games or trying to pack too much in such a short time but whatever it is it didn't flow well. When something does happen the tension is good but it feels like a roller coaster of dullness and intensity.
Being a non-player of the games, the second movie confused me more about the backstory instead of adding to the first. I feel like I need to draw a map. Or some kind of Venn Diagram.
Dialogue was a little off at times. Rose da Silva calls Harry "My Love" which didn't fit with her character in my opinion. Dahlia was a great presence in the first and reduced here. Leonard's scene was random. Man, that was vague. Either it really was vague or that I'm deaf, or slow, or all the above. It was aesthetically pleasing, but so abrupt that it was almost pointless.
Much of the atmosphere is lost. The eeriness of the town is lost. It's been replaced by different scenarios that feel out of sync from the first movie. The decayed scenes and rooms are good but they feel disconnected to everything else. I could have been watching a different movie.
Case in point: Spider mannequin. Spider mannequin was interesting but it raises more questions like what's the back story? Why isn't this place as decayed as the others?
The monsters weren't used as well as they were in the first movie. Pyramid Head doesn't feel as imposing. Nurses feel a little cartoony. The first time I saw Silent Hill nurses in the first movie I thought, "Whoa! That's hot!" This time I was disappointed. And in their scene I distinctly heard another movie-goer say, "Stop dance?"
I'm not against CG but comparing both films I've come to appreciate the non-use of CG in the first film. I'm not even sure if that's the culprit but there's really a different feel in both films. As it is, it was entertaining and aesthetically pleasing but as part of a series it falls short. I've noticed I've been making a lot of comparisons with the first film and I really don't want to but I can't help it. This film reminds me too much of what it's not rather than what it is.
I'm not against CG but comparing both films I've come to appreciate the non-use of CG in the first film. I'm not even sure if that's the culprit but there's really a different feel in both films. As it is, it was entertaining and aesthetically pleasing but as part of a series it falls short. I've noticed I've been making a lot of comparisons with the first film and I really don't want to but I can't help it. This film reminds me too much of what it's not rather than what it is.
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