Return to Silent Hill is more an assembly of video game cutscenes than a movie, leaving a confusing and oddly flat experience. The movie leans hard into its moody vibe: heavy fog, grotesque creatures, and visuals that are intentionally “ugly” in that signature Silent Hill way. As for the story, it’s all designed to be psychologically twisted, a descent into madness that blurs reality and nightmare. But, despite the ambition, the emotional connection just never materializes. The performances don’t help much. Jeremy Irvine clearly commits - he dives into the bleakness and does what he can - but the screenplay gives him little to anchor onto. Plus, the story is told in such a jumbled, scattershot fashion that any momentum is short-lived. Just as you begin to “get into” things, the film yanks you into yet another abrupt flashback or surreal detour. The inconsistency becomes its own kind of obstacle. However, to give credit where it’s due, there are some genuinely unsettling moments. The creature design is unnervingly effective, capturing the warped, body-horror energy that defined the games. And the filmmakers succeed in making the town itself a desolate, suffocating nightmare - an environment where dread settles over every frame. But visuals alone can’t compensate for a story that keeps undercutting itself. The plot veers in so many illogical directions - especially once all the “cult” revelations start piling up. What’s meant to be profound or haunting often lands as muddled and overwrought. It becomes clear why Silent Hill thrives as a game: the slow-burn exploration, the personal discovery, the creeping dread that builds as you piece things together at your own pace. With a controller, that’s immersive. With a bowl of popcorn? Not so much.