Saturday, October 27, 2012

A Letter to the Silent Hill Fandom

Dear Silent Hill fans,

Yesterday, I saw Silent Hill: Revelation.

Let me get it out of the way: yes, the story was disjointed at times, some of the dialogue over-explained things (but then again, that is a trait in most low-grade horror films), the pacing was very off, the jump-scares weren't necessary, the special effects were abysmal, and it could've gone on longer (like another fifteen minutes).

But also... yes, the dialogue was funky at times (but it is Shakespearean compared to the first film), the acting is MILES better (with the exception of Radha Mitchell, WTF girl?), the sets were gorgeous and well-done, the music was great as usual, the monsters were neat (especially the mannequin spider), and the atmosphere was spot-on.

In the end, I really liked it. It was a decent film that fixed the flaws of the first movie, but ran into other problems. I love it for its flaws, but I love for what it did right. Hell, I may even see it again.

But I know I am in a humble-sized group with this opinion.

Everyone hates this movie, calls it a travesty and all sorts of other descriptive phrases to sum up that it was an atrocity upon celluloid. But I have to refute some of that.

Does the film have its flaws? Yes, it does. Is it faithful to the third game? Not really. Then again, the first movie wasn't faithful to the first game and for some strange reason, y'all are starting to rally around the first movie even when you tore it to pieces! You don't get to do that. My God, pick an opinion and stand by it!

For those who say that the director didn't play the games: yes, he did. He paid homage to several scenes in the third game, along with others (look out for them for fun Easter eggs!) But also, he was working with a film with its own canon (well, sort of, but you get the idea)! He had to stick close to it or else y'all would whine about that. Good Lord, Catch-22 much?

And my God, shut the f*** up about the cult. The cult was there from the very beginning. Don't whine that it takes away anything. The cult is scary! You all want the series to be something that it never was: this over-intellectual series about psychological f***-ups. Can we have that and a dash of the supernatural? What the hell is wrong with that? It doesn't make your precious games look philistine or anything. In fact, I love the corresponding forces here. We can explore all possibilities! For the love of all things holy and made unto the Lord, Silent Hill is a smart game, but it's not the Mensa member of the video game world. Chill, y'all. Your game is still smarter than the average one, and it's not stupid for having a cult in it. Fatal Frame is amazing with its cult, too, and I don't see y'all railing on it.

I hate fandom so much. The fans I've encountered act like their opinions are superior and that anyone outside the group (like film directors) will get called into question when the films don't match their impossible expectations.

No, don't tell me you deserve a good film and that Hollywood owes you one. I heard it before, from Resident Evil fans and Super Mario fans. So shut up and move on. Hollywood will never make a decent adaptation. Why start now? Your special game isn't the exception. There are better things to get angry at.

Yes, I am angry at something that essentially means nothing in the end. Yes, I have better things to get upset about. But you know what? If y'all can rant about how Pyramid Head is James' monster and cannot appear anywhere else (when he wasn't, I cannot STRESS that enough), then you know what? I can rant how y'all are arrogant gits who need to take a freaking break.

Come at me, bros.

Sincerely,
Lindsey, a disgruntled Silent Hill fan

P.S.: Shattered Memories is still an unnecessary existence, the first game is the superior one, and 0rigins is the Mirage of the Silent Hill series. /trollcomment

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