Really good movie. Then again, I was expecting very little from it, so I was really surprised.
First of all, the cinematography was unbelievable, from beginning to end. I would love to have any frame from this film as a poster. Because the cinematography is so important to the success of the game, I was glad it was as good as it was.
The movie was pretty psychologically moving, which was a surprise. This reminded me more of a Japanese horror movie than an American one. It's the rare horror movie that requires you to think a lot to get it. I saw it with three friends and we each had our own take on what the ending meant. I did not expect the movie to be anywhere near as ambiguous or complex as the game, so that was a great surprise. I guess if you like everything spelled out and wrapped up nicely, this one's really not for you.
That said, the dialogue of the movie is absolutely horrendous. It's one of those movies where characters feel the need to say things that are really obvious. For example, a character enters a room that has obviously been burned beyond recognition, and says to herself "there's been a fire here!" It didn't seem to bother most of my friends, so maybe it's just me.
For all its ambiguity, there's a 10 minute scene toward the end, the entire purpose of which was to explain most of what's going on in a very direct way, pretty much addressing the audience directly. Kinda lazy writing. And, the movie followed the game almost TOO closely, meaning there were quite a few scenes of the main character exploring rooms. It gets old quick if you're not in charge of the character.
But, overall, it was a really great movie, one of the better video game adaptations I've seen. Highly recommended.
First of all, the cinematography was unbelievable, from beginning to end. I would love to have any frame from this film as a poster. Because the cinematography is so important to the success of the game, I was glad it was as good as it was.
The movie was pretty psychologically moving, which was a surprise. This reminded me more of a Japanese horror movie than an American one. It's the rare horror movie that requires you to think a lot to get it. I saw it with three friends and we each had our own take on what the ending meant. I did not expect the movie to be anywhere near as ambiguous or complex as the game, so that was a great surprise. I guess if you like everything spelled out and wrapped up nicely, this one's really not for you.
That said, the dialogue of the movie is absolutely horrendous. It's one of those movies where characters feel the need to say things that are really obvious. For example, a character enters a room that has obviously been burned beyond recognition, and says to herself "there's been a fire here!" It didn't seem to bother most of my friends, so maybe it's just me.
For all its ambiguity, there's a 10 minute scene toward the end, the entire purpose of which was to explain most of what's going on in a very direct way, pretty much addressing the audience directly. Kinda lazy writing. And, the movie followed the game almost TOO closely, meaning there were quite a few scenes of the main character exploring rooms. It gets old quick if you're not in charge of the character.
But, overall, it was a really great movie, one of the better video game adaptations I've seen. Highly recommended.
