Based on Konami’s hit game Silent Hill 2, the movie Return to Silent Hill sees James (Jeremy Irvine) return to the mysterious town after receiving a letter from his former love interest Mary (Hannah Emily Anderson) in a desperate attempt to track her down. It is a premise that is simple enough but, through some truly terrible writing in its adaptation, somehow becomes a narratively chaotic mess and a contender for worst of the year, despite January being only three weeks old.

Admittedly, the Silent Hill movies have never been my favourite, but the original is something I can at least admire for the artistic choices made and the attempt to stay as loyal to the game as possible. In Return to Silent Hill, however, even the parts of the first that I did enjoy are completely absent. This extends to the visuals, which are at times incredibly jarring, with green screen used so heavily that it becomes hard to stay invested.

The dialogue throughout is painful. It feels like non playing characters interacting with one another. Even James as the lead feels no different, and every time a new character is introduced it plays out like a cut scene or a checkpoint. Except, unlike the games, none of it feels earned, and there is no tension or suspense built to that point. The same can be said for the flashbacks, which ultimately feel like loading screens used to add context as lazily as possible.

The character decisions are infuriating from the onset, almost as if a small child were in control of the game controller and deliberately doing the most annoying things possible. It becomes exhausting to get through, to the point where it is so convoluted that it barely makes sense. That is before even mentioning the performances, all of which are painful, particularly Jeremy Irvine, who feels more like an AI creation than an actual human being delivering these lines.

The only real credit I can give the movie is the sound design, which stays inherently loyal to the game. It is the same creepy score that can instantly be attributed to the franchise, but unfortunately that is where the praise ends.

A movie like Return to Silent Hill should be engaging and, most importantly, scary. Instead, it is completely underwhelming, predictable, and quite frankly boring. A complete disservice to fans of the game and another addition to the ever-growing list of terrible video game adaptations.