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Christophe Gans has once again ventured into the foggy, oppressive world of Silent Hill, twenty years after his first cinematic adaptation of the revered video game series. His latest film, "Return to Silent Hill," is a loose interpretation of the critically acclaimed 2001 game "Silent Hill 2." The movie presents an atmospheric and sometimes visually creative horror experience, with creature designs that feel at home in the nightmarish landscape of the franchise.

However, a muddled plot, subpar visual effects, and overwrought performances may make Gans' new foray into the world of Silent Hill as polarizing as his original 2006 film. The film’s score, composed by Silent Hill veteran Akira Yamaoka, and its compelling body horror elements are notable high points, but they struggle to overcome the film’s significant shortcomings. The end result is a film that is neither a faithful, impressive adaptation for fans of the game, nor a coherent standalone film for newcomers.

The director said in a recent discussion with Variety that he feels the immense pressure and unique challenges that come with adapting such a beloved series for the screen. This project comes twenty years after his first "Silent Hill" movie. The new story centers on James, portrayed by Jeremy Irvine, who travels back to the desolate town to find the love of his life, Mary (Hannah Emily Anderson), after a mysterious apocalyptic event occurs.

In this retelling of the "Silent Hill 2" story, James Sunderland, an alcoholic artist played by Jeremy Irvine, returns to the titular town in search of his ex-girlfriend, Mary Crane, played by Hannah Emily Anderson. Doctors insist that Mary is dead, but James is haunted by visions of her. These visions, sometimes presented in a jarring first-person perspective that feels like a heavy-handed nod to the film’s video game origins, paint a confusing picture of Mary. She is at once a saintly figure in his increasingly disturbed paintings and a devoted member of a cult that engages in bizarre, bloody rituals.

The film's opening, which depicts their first meeting, feels strangely artificial, more like a car commercial than the beginning of a horror story. This sense of artificiality pervades the entire film, making the supposedly terrifying town of Silent Hill feel more like a poorly constructed set than a real, menacing place.

As James wanders through the dark, freshly painted hallways of Silent Hill, he is plagued by memories of Mary’s involvement with the town’s perverse cult, which is led by her father, the town's founder. James spends much of the film with a pained expression, his face framed by a distractingly perfect wig. Anderson, in addition to playing Mary, also portrays her doppelgänger, Maria, and a troubled teenager named Angela. All of these characters are similarly saddled with bad wigs and overwrought expressions.

The film’s lack of subtlety is a recurring issue, a problem that also marred Gans’s first "Silent Hill" film. The complex and emotionally resonant story of the original game, which deals with themes of guilt and grief, is stripped down to its most basic, shocking elements. The film presents a rape victim as a CGI spider creature with bare, necrotic breasts for eyes, and the grieving widower finds solace in painting a self-portrait.

The film's attempts at horror often fall flat. The over-the-top plot and frenetic, strobe-light editing make James's psychological deterioration feel more comical than terrifying. The iconic villain Pyramid Head, who in the game is a figure of immense power and menace, is reduced to a creature that yelps at James like a goat. Mary, who is a powerful and imposing presence in the 2024 remake of the game, is little more than a body in the film.

The decision to have Maria, Angela, and another character, a young girl named Laura, all represent the same woman, robs them of their individuality. The unique physical, emotional, and sexual traumas they have each endured are rendered meaningless, and the characters become interchangeable and forgettable. If the film doesn't care about its characters as individuals, it's difficult for the audience to care either.

Ultimately, "Return to Silent Hill" fails to satisfy on any level. It is not a successful adaptation of "Silent Hill 2," nor is it a coherent standalone horror film. The film is filled with awkward and random references to the game that will likely only confuse viewers who are not familiar with the source material. For example, James seems self-conscious every time he picks up a steel pipe, a nod to a weapon from the game that feels out of place in the film.

There are a few fleeting moments of beauty in the film, such as the constant snowfall of human ashes and a brief, haunting image of Mary transformed into a moth-like goddess. These gothic details may, in time, earn the film a cult following, much like Gans' first "Silent Hill" movie. But for now, the charms of "Return to Silent Hill" are buried under an avalanche of excess. It's a film that tries to shock and horrify, but ultimately just feels like a bloody mess.