The Eye (2008)

Another American remake that pales in comparison to the original, this time written by the same individual who wrote 'Snakes on a Plane'. Need I honestly say more? A blind woman undergoes a cornea transplant allowing her eyesight to return, but soon starts experiencing horrific visions. The primary premise is nearly identical to the Chinese original, where specific plot devices are replicated to precision such as the infamous elevator scene. However, all of the atmosphere, horror and thrills are removed to make way for a horrendously bland remake bolstered by an incredibly dull screenplay. These characters were lifeless. The sisterly bond between Alba and Posey was nonexistent and the forced romantic affair between Alba and Nivola lacked spark. Come on! Alba sure is a pretty fine woman but are you seriously suggesting you would jeopardise your entire career for a patient you've known for two days? There came a point where I thought "she's going to say it...hang on" and then momentarily she exclaims "I see dead people". I was done. From a ghostly boy endlessly searching for his report card to an elderly woman wandering hospital corridors, these spooky entities contained zero scares although accompanied with a few jolting jumps occasionally. Alba's performance was a mixed bag. Her attentiveness towards the blind acting was captivating, with minor details such as placing your finger in a cup whilst filling it adding much authenticity. Conversely though, her standard acting was wooden, flat and vapid. Fake laughs, fake smiles, fake pouts. So much fakery that you could smell it a mile away. The industrial accident was somewhat hauntingly beguiling and held my attention for a span of three minutes. The rest was just a wearisome experience. Needed to give my eyes a rest. Oh, that's without mentioning the constant blurry perspective that garnered me a headache. If you didn't like the original, this lifeless interpretation will certainly make you appreciate it more. Wait, you smell that? Yes, Alba's fakery still lingers...

A young blind woman has her sight restored but comes to see disturbing visions. She must try and find out why the visions are occurring and what they mean.The Eye isn't an out and out horror relying more on tension than blood and guts to get it's scares. It's nicely filmed and fairly engrossing throughout with a few jump scenes. Jessica Alba does a good job in the lead role displaying a nice sense of vulnerability. Although it is not a great film by any means there is more than enough here to make this an enjoyable watch. It exceeded by admittedly low expectations and is worth a viewing.

Violinist Sydney Wells has been blind since age five. She receives a cornea transplant to recover her sight. She slowly regains her vision but also gains mysterious hallucinations. She makes friends with a patient Alicia (Chloë Grace Moretz) at the hospital. Her sister Helen (Parker Posey) who feels responsible for her blindness tries to help. Dr. Paul Faulkner (Alessandro Nivola) is her new doctor helping her to adjust.Based on a Chinese horror, this is a pretty slim movie with few actual frights. It doesn't have any moodiness for atmosphere. It's not particularly creepy. The vision isn't handled with the best imagination. It's a lot of music cues to highlight visions. My question is why does her visions talk to her if she only did the eyes. So she sees not only memories but the future, death, and ghosts. It's a mishmash of random interior movie logic. There is nothing particularly wrong in this movie aside from the fact that there is nothing particularly right. Then there is the climax which isn't setup that well and seems to come out of nowhere.

Let's begin with the positives, shall we? 1. Interesting concept; the film's premise (even though it's a remake) remains intriguing. 2. The progression of the narrative; the film's narrative is consistent, up to the end, at least.They're the positive aspects of this film. As for the negatives, oh, dear. I, personally, had numerous problems with the film, namely one Jessica Alba. Alba's performance is tedious, somewhat forced and ultimately lacking in any emotional empathy, shall we say, that she has, or, rather, is supposed to have, with her character. She was nominated for the Razzie award for Worst Actress 2008. No wonder. As for the other performances, they seemed to lack conviction, and, as a result, were equally mediocre. Moving on to what characterises most horror films; tension and suspense. This film was, again somewhat lacking, apart from a few effective jump scares, however, there were a few 'cheap scares' present, also, which were infuriating for the avid horror film fan. However, what irritated me most was the script; totally devoid of interesting dialogue, utterly dry, abrupt and forced. The climax of the film (without spoiling anything) conformed to the aforementioned criteria; abrupt, dissatisfying, predictable. To conclude, it's not really recommendable, especially for admirers of the first film.