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    • BLU-RAY REVIEW

    Silent Hill

    Featured In Issue 113, October 2006

    Picture3.5
    SoundNR
    WSR Score3
    Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
    (Studio/Distributor):
    Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
    (Catalog Number):
    15406
    (MPAA Rating):
    R
    (Rating Reason):
    For strong horror violence and gore, disturbing images, and some language
    (Retail Price):
    $38.95
    (Disc Type):
    Single Side, Single Layer (BD-25)
    (Widescreen Edition):
    Yes
    (Full Screen Edition):
    Yes
    (Running Time In Minutes):
    126
    (Color Type):
    Color
    (Chaptered/Scene Access):
    Yes
    (Closed Captioned):
    Yes
    (Regional Coding):
    1
    (Theatrical Year):
    2006
    (Theatrical Release):
    Yes
    (Direct-To-Video Release):
    No
    (Disc Release Date):
    08/22/06
    (THX® Digitally Mastered):
    (Director):
    Christophe Gans
    (Screenplay/Written By):
    (Story):
    (Music):
    (Director Of Photography):
    (Production Designer):
    (Visual Effects):
    (Costume Designer):
    (Editor):
    (Supervising Sound Editors):
    (Re-Recording Mixers):
    (Executive Producers):
    (Co-Producers):
    (Producers):
    (Academy Awards):
    (Principal Photography):
    (Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
    (Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
    (Disc Soundtrack):
    Dolby Digital 5.1
    (Theatrical Sound):
    (Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
    (DTS Bit Rate):
    (Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
    (Additional Languages):
    (French Language):
    (Spanish Language):
    (Chinese Language):
    (Subtitles):
    (Cantonese Language):
    (Mandarin Language):
    (Japanese Language):
    (Italian Language):
    (German Language):
    (Portuguese Language):

    Against her husband's (Bean) wishes, Rose (Mitchell) decides to take her daughter Sharon (Ferland) to "Silent Hill," the place Sharon calls home during her night terrors. After finally arriving in the ash-raining town, Rose gets into an accident and wakes up to find Sharon gone. Wandering throught the seemingly deserted, fog-enshrouded town, Rose uncovers strange and evil happenings while searching for her lost daughter. Based on the game created by Konami. (Tricia Spears)

    Previews are the only special features on this Blu-ray Disc title.

    The MPEG-2-encoded 2.32:1 Blu-ray Disc picture can look pretty good, with deep blacks and good detail, but there are also times when the image can look very soft. The anamorphically enhanced DVD picture has a hazy look to it, with blacks that aren't very deep and details that are a little soft. The stylized imagery is very dark and gritty, which makes the milky grays—I mean blacks—of the DVD version even more noticeable. Daytime scenes look blown-out and covered with a goldish hue. There is some edge enhancement noticeable in both versions, although it does not become a big distraction. For the DVD, it all goes back to the sub-par black levels, which are disappointing, while the big problem with the Blu-ray Disc release is in the inconsistency. (Danny Richelieu)

    While dialogue is robust in both the linear PCM 5.1-channel soundtrack on Blu-ray Disc and the Dolby® Digital 5.1-channel soundtrack on the DVD, the mix is not overly exciting, as surrounds are almost completely ignored at times, and there is little in the way of phantom imaging anywhere. The front stage seems to be split into three distinct points, which surprisingly match up right at the physical locations of each of the three loudspeakers. The LFE channel is used very frequently, and very well, helping heighten the moods of the story. The linear PCM version is obviously preferred, but neither sound terribly good. (Danny Richelieu)

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