ROTTEN TOMATOES: Silent Hill 2 Loses Director and Writer

Silent Hill 2 Loses Director and Writer

Gans and Avary will leave it for someone else to deal with...

by Scott Weinberg | July 20, 2007

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Mr. Avary told Shock Till You Drop: "I'm not gonna do Silent Hill 2 ... If Christophe's not gonna do it, I'm not..."

And since Mr. Gans seems to have his plate full with other projects (including another video game adaptation called Onimusha), it looks like Silent Hill 2 will fall to some newcomers. If, that is, Sony is still interested in continuing the series. (At this point I'd expect a direct-to-video sequel with none of the original cast.)

Avary, for his part, co-wrote Robert Zemeckis' adaptation of Beowulf -- which certainly promises to be something to see. He'd also like to get a movie version of The Nocturnals off the ground, which sounds like a comic book that'd be right up my alley.

But since next to nobody liked Silent Hill in the first place, I doubt this news will cast much of a shadow over your weekend.

Source: ShockTillYouDrop.com, IGN Movies

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(1-20 of 43 posts) | Reply

jmo2ski writes:
on Jul 20 2007 07:41 AM

Yeah i think that this is best. The movie had the atmosphere and the characters down packed, but when it came to the story, I was like what the hell.

So I think if they can build up suspense in this one or even add a little more gore, it could be better.

But it is up to the writers and driectors.

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Brad 3000 writes:
on Jul 20 2007 07:56 AM

Well, I hated the first one. I was so bored when I went to see it that I actually took a nap ON PURPOSE during the movie. I made a conscious decision "I am so bored and annoyed by this horrible movie that I can't stand looking at the screen any more - I guess I'll take a nap"

The shame is I LOVE the source material. SH is my favorite game series ever (except for 4 - ugh) and I had faith in this creative team. I liked Brotherhood of the Wolf and Roger avery had done exemplary work in the past, but... Silent Hill was just crap.

The only thing good about it was the look, which they copied very closely from the game. My biggest gripe was that any time the main character was trapped or cornered, the stupid horns would sound and the demons would disappear. It would have been a lot more suspenseful if she had had to fight her way through some dark corridors with just a lead pipe, like in the game.

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Brad 3000 writes:
on Jul 20 2007 07:59 AM

Oh anyway, after all that, I didn't even get to my main point - I am now excited to see the sequel. If there is going to be a new creative team, I will give another silent hill movie a chance. I would have skipped a second Gans/Avery version.

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bobdebicker writes:
on Jul 20 2007 08:05 AM

thank....god. i hope they still do the second movie tho. silent hill two is the best one in the series and the easiest one to adapt into a movie. i hope they make it....and make it right. silent hill 2 should be more "creepy" than "scary." i'm hoping for something shining-esque.

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Shatter24 writes:
on Jul 20 2007 08:17 AM

Liked the original film, didn't think I would. Was authentically scary and creepy. I don't know that a sequel is necessary, though.

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lavatory love machine writes:
on Jul 20 2007 08:35 AM

I think the first one it's bery good, the best video game movie by far and was really looking foward for a sequel where gans would correct some mistakes to make it really great

bad news, indeed

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bluefrogjam writes:
on Jul 20 2007 08:42 AM

As a Silent Hill fan, I would consider this a major disappointment. True, the first film had its flaws, but it was clear Gans cared for the source material. The last thing I'd want to see is a direct-to-video release with a hack director, hack screenwriter, and incompetant cast. Silent Hill 2 is one of the greatest gaming experiences I've ever had, and in the right hands could adapt into a terrific flick. It's unfortunate then that Sony Pictures might just try and make a quick buck without putting any real thought into it. The series deserves a film that reflects its rich history and plotlines.

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SLADE775 writes:
on Jul 20 2007 09:13 AM

The casting and script for SH was some of the worst of 2006. The whole thing was a convoluted mess from start to finish.

Too bad that they can never seem to get decent people involved with these type of films.

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dOiNk writes:
on Jul 20 2007 09:47 AM

I loved the first Silent Hill movie and am very disappointed to hear this... imo, it was one of the best video game to movie adaptions (and yes i know this doesn't say much) The pacing, the gore, the mood, the creatures... all perfect.

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CartoonWorldVGM writes:
on Jul 20 2007 09:59 AM

Can't say I'll miss Avary, but Gans, yes. He really did give it his best, despite the fact he did make some mistakes along the way. Silent Hill may not have been perfect by any means, but it was definitely the best video game adaptation to date.

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Tidusdarklighter writes:
on Jul 20 2007 10:26 AM

In reply to this comment (#953664)
"Silent Hill may not have been perfect by any means, but it was definitely the best video game adaptation to date."

Which, again, doesn't exactly say much, when you've got the likes of Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter to compete with.

I don't care that it was probably the best film adaptation so far. That means nothing when you're judging the movie as just that; a movie. And as a movie, it failed on just about every level (apart from the visuals somewhat and the music, the latter of which was ripped from the games) - plot, script, characters, scariness, mood, suspense, all completely off. It's probably the most disappointing movie I've ever seen.

I'm half glad Avery and Gans are off the project, but I doubt they'll find a team that's any better - game-to-film adaptations are usually handed to either Uwe Boll or directors with experience only in music videos. Here's hoping that David Lynch or Brad Anderson (Machinist) will pick up the sequel.

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juggaloclown420 writes:
on Jul 20 2007 10:51 AM

In reply to this comment (#953176)
i agree the first one did suck but the games are great (i like 4 by the way) and if a new team is making the new one then im all for it (id probably see it anyways just for laughs)

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juggaloclown420 writes:
on Jul 20 2007 10:52 AM

In reply to this comment (#953176)
i agree the first one did suck but the games are great (i like 4 by the way) and if a new team is making the new one then im all for it (id probably see it anyways just for laughs)

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nevermachine writes:
on Jul 20 2007 11:08 AM

i really liked that movie! the story got a bit wonky, but the charaters and monsters were fansastic! By far one of the greatest videogame movies thus far. and i dont think its the "most disappointing movie I've ever seen."
and i dont think that you can dis a movie based on a videogame because elements of the film were "ripped from the games"- thats why they made the damn movie- to bring this very cool story out of one media and into another.

This film may lack in certain aeras i guess, but it more than makes up for it in many others, like the visuals, set design, and the acting/coreography.

also keep in mind that this was based off of the original SH way back on the PS1. If a sequal is a possibility, for the sake of the story, they should bypass the the story from 1&3, and take a page from SH2. SH2 is kind of a stand alone, but leaves a lot of room for interpretation. Going on this type of story could breath more life and originality into a film version. after all, silent hill is hell... or is it purgarory? many folks end up there for diffrent reasons. you could come up with a whole new story and just set in silent hill. it may piss off some of the fanboys, but it might actually please them too.

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jeremyd4 writes:
on Jul 20 2007 11:38 AM

Really loved the atmosphere of the Silent Hill movie... it's what Resident Evil lacked. If only both these film franchises could consistently capture the games' feel AND ALSO have a decent plot. These games are so easy to turn into good movies imo though - the stories are already near perfect and don't need much altering... heck, the cut scenes from the games themselves are way more watchable than their cinematical movie counterparts!!! I really thought Silent Hill was on the right track, until about half way through.

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RawIsRamsey writes:
on Jul 20 2007 01:31 PM

I'm sorry, I loved Silent Hill. Having faithfully played each game, it was by far the best and closest adaption to a video game I've ever seen...and it all fell exactly the way the game did...everything from the camera angles, locations, clues, items....it was all there and was all ripped straight from the source. The loss of Gans is going to hurt this (potential) franchise, even with better material to work with from SH2. I wasn't watching the movie to experience something new, because it's not...if you've played the game, you already know what's going to happen...but how it played out was beyond anything I could have imagined for this movie. No, it's not the best acted or anything, but for what it is and what it was meant to do, it was damn near perfect.

And c'mon....it's got the sweetest death ever...having your skin ripped off whole and thrown into a bloody mess against a church door? Excellent.

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taran72 writes:
on Jul 20 2007 01:32 PM

Now if only it can lose funding, then we can all sleep better at night.

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unbreakable_samurai writes:
on Jul 20 2007 02:06 PM

I've always loved Avary but I really hated this film, so I'm glad that he's moving on, to hopefully something good again.

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dylan21484nj writes:
on Jul 20 2007 02:17 PM

Silent Hill was a beautiful-looking film and it got the atmosphere of the games down perfectly. it was probably the best video game adaptation made so far because it didn't resort to the mindless action film formula that other video game movies like Resident Evil and Doom resorted to to substitute for a lack of an ACTUAL STORY. sadly, the story took a little too long to progress and then they drop this big piece of exposition in your lap toward the end to explain everything. that flashback scene is right up there with the Architect scene from The Matrix Reloaded as far as too much crucial information introduced too quickly to really adhere to.

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