Everybody's a critic: 'Silent Hill'

One and a half stars (out of four)

Rose's daughter, Sharon, has nightmares during which she sleepwalks and repeats the name "Silent Hill."

Sharon also creates drawings that she never remembers creating. Unable to find a cure or explanation for her affliction, Rose researches the name Silent Hill and finds out that it is an abandoned town. Hoping that it will yield some clue as how to help her daughter, Rose and Sharon embark on the journey to Silent Hill.

The movie has a good story line and plot, however, somewhere in the middle I became very confused. When Rose had the secrets of the town revealed to her, it was very jumbled and confusing.

There was a lot of information with no real explanation of who and what really happened and when exactly did it happen. The acting left a lot to be desired as well. It did have a few special effects that were intriguing, but overall I have to say I was very disappointed with this film. Also, if you plan on being scared, it's not going to happen with this one.

-- Brenda Euler

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Three stars (out of four)

Rose has come to Silent Hill with her daughter Sharon because the girl has taken to sleepwalking at night, and standing on the edge of high cliffs while saying "Silent Hill" in her sleep. Rose believes she must take her daughter there for healing. On the way there, the usual zombie-like little girl turns up in the headlights, there is a crash, and they are shoved into another world (like a portal) where the dead walk. Sharon disappears and Rose wanders through the town for two hours trying to find her, encountering zombies and bugs that look like giant roaches.

I did not understand the story. Just when I thought I was getting it, characters began offering stories and historical perspectives, and I again became lost. By the end I had no idea what had just happened.

I believe that Silent Hill is just a place in limbo. No one is alive there; just souls waiting to be judged for their actions on earth. Perhaps those who have played the video game will understand the movie better. Overall, I found the movie entertaining and the special effects were really cool.

-- Tiana Hughes

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One star (out of four)

I can usually find something enjoyable about any cinematic experience.

"Silent Hill" was a rare exception to this rule.

This movie begins at what feels like a third of the way into the story. A little girl, Sharon, has apparently been sleepwalking and often saying the words "Silent Hill" in her sleep. This prompts her adoptive mother, Rose, to take Sharon on a trip to a ghost town in West Virginia -- Silent Hill, where the girl's birth mother is believed to have grown up. The purpose of this journey is unclear. Sharon and her mother are soon separated and Rose sets out to find her daughter among the terrors of Silent Hill.

The acting in this movie was extremely sub par and the dialogue and plot were cheesy, at best. I wouldn't really recommend this movie to anyone, though judging by the box office on its opening weekend, someone liked it.

-- Kendra Eads

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