A cheap, clunky sequel to 2006’s videogame adaptation Silent Hill, this programmatic follow-up goes through all the genre motions with the passion, commitment and attention to detail of a teenager cycling through a laundry list of mandated chores prior to an evening out. A frenzied and narratively muddled cash-grab that disimproves upon its predecessor in every imaginable way, this uninspired effort may represent the theatrical release death knell for the franchise.

Absent the presences of originating writer Roger Avary and director Christophe Gans, Revelation feels an infinitely more clubby and insular affair than its predecessor, desultory and dependent on a rabid and uncritical emotional investment rooted in the source material. Australian-born Adelaide Clemens is the movie’s sole bright spot. She’s a good match for Radha Mitchell, the star of the first film who only cameos here, even though Clemens plays her adopted daughter. With her short blonde hair and sympathetic visage, she resembles a cross between Michelle Williams and Carey Mulligan, exuding an ever-present vulnerability that stands head and shoulders above this claptrap. For the full, original review, from Screen International, click here. (Open Road, R, 94 minutes)