Customer Reviews

The Eye

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(22)
2 star:		(17)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

Perhaps I enjoyed this movie more because I went into it with very, very, very low expectations. The plot and premise seemed flimsy and ridiculous, and even though I do like Jessica Alba, I wasn't sure decent acting could save a plot that seemed so trite and boring. But partway through my opinion began to change. I decided this isn't really a horror movie, not in the classical sense of what has taken over the horror genre (gore like Saw and Hostel). It's a supernatural mystery with a bit of suspense, if you want to get long-winded and technical. Nothing about it was implicitly scary, but it was interesting and drew me along. I wanted to see the end, and not just to find out if I'd won the classic 'guess who survives' horror movie game.

Sure, the premise is implausible and the entire story is completely unbelievable, but it was an entertaining movie and was fun to watch. I don't ask for realism in my movies (okay, not most of the time!), all I want is to be entertained and this movie, while neither greatly original nor brilliantly written, was enjoyable enough. Horror/suspense fans looking to pass an eventful evening would enjoy this one, but if you're looking for more than that, don't bother.

Most of what I think about "The Eye" has already been said in the other reviews shown here.

My gripe is mainly with Hollywood. They are completely OUT of fresh ideas for cinema. The well has run dry, and now they're trying to dip into the wells of their neighbors. What I mean by that is the latest trend of ripping off movie ideas from foreign cinema (much like Bollywood rips of Amercian films). "The Eye" is the American remake of a similar Asian film that apparently did well in the eastern markets, so it's gotta do well over here. Right?

Wrong.

What other cultures find amusing, scary, offensive, etc. is not necessarily how our culture feels about the same material (ever seen what Russians consider comedy? Not funny at all; but maybe that's just me).

Anywho, to understand what I mean, watch any of John Woo's Hong Kong action films (The Killer, Hard Boiled) and then watch his Hollywood features (Broken Arrow, Face/Off). There is no comparsion. Woo's Hong Kong films are gritty, real, down to earth, and in-your face. His Hollywood films are formulaic and prepackaged for the masses. That's what happens when Hollywood gets its greedy little nubs on something.

My whole point is, this film is predictable, formulaic, and rehashed. It's not something we haven't seen before. Jessica Alba does OK with her role, but nothing award-winning to say the least.

If you are in love with Alba and simply cannot resist looking at her (who could blame you?), then this movie is definitely for you.

If not, skip it and rent something else.

Paging Sarah Michelle Gellar . . . You've missed your audition . . . Never mind. We've found a suitable substitute for you.

Gellar could have easily played this role and so could have Jennifer Love Hewitt, but Jessica Alba does an adequate job here as Hollywood continues its Asian horror remake kick and with good reason: Japan is making some highly effective films these days. This one is less exciting or spooky in comparison to some others, but it's still decent entertainment.

The gorgeous and almost always appealing Alba, disliked her overacting "bridezilla" bit in Fantastic Four - Rise of the Silver Surfer, is the star of this flick and she plays a character, Sydney Wells, who went blind from a firecracker mishap with her sister when she was around 7. She's moved on, accepted her blindness, and is now a violinist of some note. I heard she really did learn to play the violin for some of those brief close up shots, but you know how Hollywood rumors are. Anyhow, her sister feeling guilt over the accident continues to push Sydney to get cornea transplants. The first attempt earlier in her life failed, but now some new procedures should make it successful and depending on how you view success, it is, but it has a catch . . .

Sydney can now see, much more than she had ever planned to as she sees, drum roll please, "dead people." Yup, an actual line said, in humor, by Sydney's "seeing" therapist, played by Alessandro Nivola (Jurassic Park III), as Dr. Paul Faulkner. I'm not sure if this doctor is problematic in the way he was written or in the way Nivola plays him, or the way the directors tell him to play him, but he's far creepier than any vision Sydney gets. Let's forget that he is played stereotypically like our usual crop of 20-30 something youths who claim to be "professionals", but all walk around with Don Johnson, Miami Vice: The Complete Series circa 1980's, five o'clock shadows and suits that haven't seen a drycleaner or iron in years and let's instead focus on the fact that while he does give some really practical advice on coping with her new-found vision, he's a total idiot in his approach to her as a person having serious psychological problems (if her visions are delusions as he thinks they are). He's also just plain creepy in the way he just looks at Sydney. I just felt my skin crawl whenever he was on the screen and never once accepted him as a doctor.

Over time Sydney's vision become more long lasting, violent, and the line between vision and reality become blurred (pun intended). It is no spoiler to say that Sydney has received the corneas of a person who committed suicide as the film opens with that and then cuts away to her eyes and the looming surgery, but explaining her visions would be a spoiler even though the mystery is light and the story fairly predictable as it follows greater films like The Sixth Sense all too closely.

"The Eye" relies heavily upon its star and even though Alba is stunning, although so overly thin here that they had to use a significantly heavier body double for her nude shower scene (PG-13 kind of suggestive nudity here), can act well enough to carry the role, and has a nicely tone of voice for the voice-over segments, the role could have been played so much better by what I would consider a serious talent (with all due respect to Alba who is just okay or good at best). Of course, the problem here is that no serious talent would have taken on this very contrived role.

The story, although slow and even lame at times, does move quickly, and the vision sequences are fairly clever at times with very limited use of CGI (a welcome rest from that technology). The film is also helped along by a cast of familiar faces of which Rachel Ticotin is one. I adored this actress when she first got started, but, sadly, her star never rose to the level it should have risen to. Her role here, like all too many in her career, is brief, but memorable. In addition, Rade Serbedzija is underused as Sydney's conductor and mentor, but he's always a pleasure to see on the silver screen, and Sydney's surgeon is played with great believability and professionalism by Obba Babatundé. Even an all too brief scene with Tamlyn Tomita who has graced more TV shows than any other actress I can think of is greatly appreciated. Some may recall this actress from her youth when she was the love interest in The Karate Kid II and later in The Joy Luck Club. In 1991 People magazine voted her one of the top 50 most beautiful people in the world (and she's lost little of that beauty since then). These supporting actors seriously help a somewhat flawed film as they add both interest and depth to the film.

The only two cast members I can not praise at all are sadly key supporting roles. I've already mentioned Nivola's creepy therapist bit, but Sydney's sister is played with such little presence that she nearly evaporates into the set designs. I actually had to look up her name and part in the film on IMDb website as she is so vacant in her role. Parker Posey is just there . . . she acts without a clue as to how she should react to anything. Is this poor writing, directing or acting? Dare I say all three . . . YES, but a better actress could compensate for a poorly written role and lack of direction. Posey is so forgettable that the second the camera is off her we hardly noticed she was there at all.

Do I recommend this film? In spite of a few serious flaws, I say yes. Alba, while not at her best, certainly carries the film well enough and most of the supporting cast is very good in their limited roles. The storyline is interesting even though familiar and the lack of CGI overkill is a welcome change. Most will like this film for Alba and that is understandable, but there are some other elements that make this film a decent ride.

FYI: The Asian film version spawned a sequel . . . I'm crossing my fingers that they leave this American version alone though. :o)

The '08 film `The Eye' starring the enchanting Jessica Alba is a better than expected remake of an Asian horror film of the same name. Yes, it does start out rat a rather slow pace and any horror fan will immediately notice the liberal borrowing from other horror/supernatural films that precede I such as; `Ghost' and `The Sixth Sense' it eventually discovers a personality of its own and rewards the patient viewer with an overall satisfying experience when all is said and done. Jessica Alba not only looks amazing but delivers a strong performance as the blind violinist and corona recipient that unexpectedly receives the ability to foresee death and disaster along her newfound sight.

Definitely not destined to be a classic but I enjoyed it; -3 ½ Stars-.

The moment this movie was announced, the Cruise/Wagner produced remake of the Hong Kong film, The Eye, was destined to be hated or loathed. However, unlike the film that comes afterward, Jumper, which was terrible in every aspect of the word, there's no merit to the low ratings this film's gotten (you know, other than personal opinion and disdain for Jessica Alba). I had the pleasure of watching the original "EYE" film before seeing the remake and I enjoyed it immensely.

I'm glad to say that, like the American remakes before this one, ---The Ring (Ringu) and The Grudge (Ju-on: The Grudge)--, The Eye is without a doubt the best adaptation of its original movie since the aforementioned films. Naturally, some changes are made to accommodate cultural differences and the current timeline of the world.

The story follows Sydney Wells (Jessica Alba), classical violinist, who has lived with an accident-caused blindness since she was just five years old. Now, nearly 20 nears later, she finally getting a transplant surgery that will restore her sight. At first, she is confused and disoriented, unable to understand if what she sees is "real" or not.

During her first night with her new eyes, her bedmate at the hospital dies, and Sydney, not understanding, watches her blurry figure being led away by someone else. During her stay, she also befriends a young girl named Alicia Milstone (Chloe Moretz), who is there undergoing surgery for a brain tumor.

As time goes on, Sydney's vision begins to clear up and she struggles to understand the new world around her. Her therapist, Paul Faulkner (Alessandro Nivola), feels that her strange visions are her mind's way of interpreting what it was never able to before. However, when she starts to see more and more apparitions of the dearly departed, Sydney believes otherwise. Her sister, Helen Wells (Parker Posey) worries that the stress of her new experiences are beginning to get to Sydney, but Sydney persists that everything she is seeing real.

With no one to believe she is actually seeing the ghosts, the terrible visions of fire and death, Sydney struggles to retain her sanity as she attempts to decipher the mystery behind original owner of her eyes.

In terms of faithfulness, THE EYE is a near-recreation of its predecessor. Scenes mirror each other with only minor differences. The storyline is true to its source material, again, with only minor changes. For instance, instead of the donor being from Northern Thailand, she is from Mexico, but their fates are largely the same. Another nice touch is, like Keri Russell for August Rush, Jessica Alba took violin lessons for film (assuming I remember correctly). So whether or not she's actually playing on screen and not simply mimicking the movements while a soundtrack plays in the background, it's a nice bit of information to know. Granted, a lot of people will bi**h and moan about the way the movie ends, as its quite different from the original, but given the motivation Sydney uses to get the civilians to flee from danger, I can believe it (even though most in reality would laugh you off the bus and call you a lair).

The atmosphere of the movie a hardly scary, but it manages to weave a sense of unease, uncertainty (in concerns of Sydney's sanity), and tense moments when you least expect things to jump out at you. On technical aspects, the CGI used in the film blends well against the surrounding reality, especially near the end of the film. The ghosts, [Grim Reapers?], that usher spirits into the next world are more unsettling in appearance opposed to the originals. Which honestly begs the question as to whom they're actually working for -- especially since they "don't like to be seen".




The performances in this film are excellent. Jessica Alba especially shows off a surprisingly convincing dramatic side of her highly doubted skills as an actress. She excels in every scene she's in and more than proves her worth (to me anyhow). Parker Posey's performance Alba's moody sister, Helen, is entertaining for the short time she appears in the film; its made perfectly clear that her character blames herself still what happened to her sister.

Alessandro Nivola's Dr. Paul Faulkner, is about as likeable as Lawrence Chou's Dr. Wah in the beginning of the original film. Only, I didn't end up liking him at the end of this remake like I did the aforementioned character. Faulkner didn't strike me as that engaging of a character, though it could be because of Alessandro's deadpan performance.

Marco Beltrami`s, the to-go guy if you want a quick score for a horror movie, score is suitable for the movie, though its rarely noticeable at times (I was a little too engrossed in the movie to listen). Overall, THE EYE, I think, has managed to stay faithful the original source material while creating something new along the way. A highly recommended movie. --- [a 5 out of 5] -- [April 23, 2008].

The Eye is a suspense drama dealing with the paranormal. The story line is a cross between the Sixth Sense The Sixth Sense (Collector's Edition Series) and Deja Vu Deja Vu. While this won't be an Oscar contender, it is much better than advertised and worth the price of admission.

The Story

Movies about paranormal or psychic activities usually require you to suspend disbelief. The story requires more stretch than usual because Jessica Alba's character plays a wealthy, good looking professional violinist who is somehow still a single loner. When her eye surgery (cornea transplant) has her seeing ghosts, the stretches in the plotline seem tame by comparison.

The movie mainly consists of her trying to find out who her donor was and why she's seeing strange things. There's plenty of shock images of specters that scream across the screen to startle you. Still, this isn't exactly a "horror" movie and there's no real gore to speak of. The movie uses the vague uncertainty of her situation to make you feel more dread than fear.

The story line has a "surprise ending" that is done well enough. It's clear that the story was changed many times, perhaps at the expense of the movie. But in the end, it wraps up nicely enough as long as you don't over-analyze it.

Acting and Direction

As far as acting is concerned, Alba does a much better job than the critics will ever give her credit for. In fact, her performance makes this movie watchable. Considering some of the dialogue she has to work with, she does an admirable job.

Her supporting cast is used less effectively. The director decided to use Alessandro Nivola (Best Laid Plans, Laurel Canyon), as the doctor, in a deadpan way that neither showcases his acting skills nor aids in plot development. And Parker Posey (Broken English)is thrown in as the sister, showing up only enough to get a paycheck.

Effects and Cinematography

Special effects are good though not groundbreaking. There is some nice CG aided photography in the movie to show slow motion stills. It's used well, and it's clear that some technically strong people worked on the shooting and editing of this movie. Still, audiences have come to expect so much in terms of special effects that this movie will not leave people impressed.

Conclusion

Could the story have been much better? Yes. Could the acting and direction been improved? Absolutely. Still, this is a fun movie that's worth seeing in the theatre and will appeal to a wide audience of Alba fans from her sci-fi beginnings Dark Angel - The Complete First Season to her more recent role in Sin City Sin City. In fact, those into the paranormal will find enough to keep them interested.

The timing of this movie was the main error. It was released in the dead of winter when it's very difficult to get traction for movies like this. I hope that the DVD will include enough special features to be worth a buy.

Enjoy!!!

It's one of the worst horror movies I've ever seen. There's no suspense or horror. Jessica could not save it because there's nothing for her to work on. It's very much like a bad B-movie.

Personally I don't see why so many people bash this movie! Jessica Alba was at her best if you ask me.

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Synopsis: Sydney (played by our lovely Jessica Alba is a young, blind, violinist. She has been blind since childhood, after an accident with a firecrack. She is given the chance to see for the first time since childhood through a miraculous corneal transplant. As Sydney adjusts to the dizzy world of color and shapes she hasn't seen in years she's hunated by horrifying images and visons of death, it'self, dragging the 'doomed' away from the living world. On the brink of insanity, Sydney must discover whose eyes she has inherited, and what secret visions they have held.

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Perhaps the people who bash this movie don't realize, what Jessica put into this peice. That she learned to play the violin while filming it. That she actually learned to read braille.

This isn't the first movie Jessica has 'gotten into the role' with. Poor girl, in Good Luck Chuck, though it was an accident, in the scene with the penguins where she slips and falls into the water, and 'chips a tooth' She really does. Talking 'method acting' Must say I feel for her, that had to hurt.

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All in all my opinion, this movie is a "must" have for any Jessica Alba fan. 'The Eye' with it's turns and twist, keep you guessing to the end.

To Jessica (As if she'd actually read this) You rock hun' Keep up the excellent work! ~Kit

This new trend with the film industry when it comes to the east vs. west or the west vs. east doesn't seem like it's slowing down any time soon plus they all end up having the same scare tactics. What they sometimes do is remove color from the "monster" making him look all shades of grey and then they remove frames while it's moving. Making it look like it's jerking around and pop locking. We saw it in the eastern remake of `The Ring,' the eastern remake of `The Grudge' and we see it again in `The Eye.' I guess if you have a winning formula you stick to it but I don't think every year we need to have some black and blue kid pop-locking on the big screen in his or her attempt to make me jump in my seat. I know I've been warned by this film through my Amazon friends but I had to see it for myself.

For those who don't know we are introduced to Sydney Wells (Jessica Alba) who is an accomplished, independent, Los Angeles-based concert violinist. She is also blind, and has been so since a childhood tragedy. As our story opens, Sydney undergoes a double corneal transplant, a surgery she has waited her whole life to have, and her sight is restored. After the surgery, neural ophthalmologist Dr. Paul Faulkner helps Sydney with the difficult adjustment, and with the support of her older sister Helen, Sydney learns to see again. But Sydney''s happiness is short-lived as unexplainable shadowy and frightening images start to haunt her. Are they a passing aftermath of her surgery, Sydney''s mind adjusting to sight, a product of her imagination, or something horrifyingly real? As Sydney''s family and friends begin to doubt her sanity, Sydney is soon convinced that her anonymous eye donor has somehow opened the door to a terrifying world only she can now see.

Though it wasn't really an original film it wasn't a horrible. Jessica Alba is finally getting to the point where I think she can carry a film by herself. In the past she has just been a bit of arm candy for a movie. But that's not the case any more. In the Eye she pretty convincingly goes through the emotional ups and down's of being a blind girl that has adapted to her disability for nearly her entire life. Then recent breakthroughs in science allow her the gift of site via a cornea transplant. It's also worth noting that the film did have a few quality jerk moments. At the end of the day it's a good albeit unoriginal horror flick that you'll probably pass on.

So many questions here: Why are the hospital corridors very dark and unstaffed at night; why does Jessica Alba get dreesed after a shower while still wet; why is Parker Posey in this movie? There are no answers so save yourself the headache of trying to figure it out. This is DUMB, not scary, uneven to the max and dull. Must we remake every Japanese horror film? Yet another question not worth thinking about in these days of completely uninspired, unoriginal filmaking.