MaximumMadness Growing up in the United States in the 90's, I was never really exposed to foreign film as a child. Foreign films were more a niche market at that time... something you had to actively be aware of and seek out for yourself in cramped back-sections of video-stores or through special orders in magazines. It wasn't really until my mid-teens in the early 2000's that I became a fan, when a rash of Americanized remakes and reboots started to popularize foreign film- particularly Asian cinema- to increasing numbers of western audiences. Soon enough, by the time I was 16, I was ordering Region-Free imports of films and series online, scouring the shelves of the local Video King for the latest translated releases and borrowing whatever I could from friends and relatives.One of my favorite finds around that time was the Pang Brother's wonderfully eerie and thrilling 2002 release "The Eye"- a fun but somewhat flawed ghost-story about a woman who goes through a cornea transplant and gains the ability to see spirits and ghouls. It was a very fun little tale of terror, and even to this day, I give it a watch now and then. However, I wasn't immediately aware that the film was only the first of a series, with several sequels of inconsistent quality having followed. So you could imagine my surprise a few years later when I stumbled onto "The Eye 2" on a store-shelf one Summer day. "The Eye 2" is most certainly a peculiar follow-up. Not a direct sequel by any means, the film tells a unique tale regarding a depressed woman named Joey (Shu Qi) who tries to commit suicide after a failed relationship, but survives and learns that she is pregnant with the child of her former lover. Soon though, she begins to see vile spectral figures that follow her, and she learns that they are trying to take ahold of her unborn baby so that they may be reborn into the human world. And so, she goes on a journey to try and discover just what's happening and if there is any way to save her baby from being taken over by these seemingly vengeful spirits.The film does falter quite a bit in the fear department which is why it loses some crucial points for me, and a big part of the issues at hand is the lack of fear and panic in comparison with the first film. While it does have a few select moments of genuine creeps and jumps, the film is far too focused on story and character to really get under your skin, and the genuine scares often come few and far in between. I also found that Joey, while a compelling enough protagonist, is saddled far too often in the first half into being little more than a sort-of sad-eyed puppy-dog of a woman. Yes, the film is about an emotionally damaged woman... but it can be a bit overbearing at times.However, the film excels and is still a worthy watch due to the shockingly warm heart it contains beneath the surface. It really sets the film apart of not only the other entries in the series, but also the other contemporary horror films as a whole. The film is genuinely an emotional roller-coaster and many of its twists and turns are actually quite sweet and good-natured. It may seem counter-intuitive for a horror film to have a good moral center, but it actually works quite well here. The film's themes tend to center on ideas like seeking forgiveness from both oneself and the others around us, the concept of motherhood as a whole and just doing the right thing no matter what, and it gives the film a very fulfilling arc for not only Joey as a character, but everyone around her. Qi is quite good as our protagonist even if it takes some time to accept her depressive personality. And supporting roles by the likes of Eugenia Yuan and Jesdaporn Pholdee are exceptionally well-played and add a lot to the proceedings.While it's never quite as startling as I'd have wished, I still find "The Eye 2" a very fun and engaging feature, and I'd definitely highly recommend it to fans of foreign horror. For me, it's a pretty solid 7 out of 10. If you liked the original, give it a shot. I'd just also recommend steering clear of the third film... Oh, boy.

Shawn Watson Danny and Oxide Pang follow-up their 2002 horror movie with this non-related sequel. It's not as effective as the original, but still has a few scenes worth watching for.Joey Cheng (Shu Qi, who you might recognize from her terrible performance from Transporter) is a young, pregnant woman who attempts suicide, and fails, only to obtain the ability to see ghosts. There's no plot though. Some of the ghosts seem cursory and are never fully explained. They're weird and visible just for the sake of it, with no explanation. There's a slight mystery involving the woman Joey sees lurking in the train station which leads to sweet ending, but it's not really enough to sustain a 95-minute running time.It falls short of the Eye, though there are a couple of tense moments and it's not completely dissatisfying.

dfle3 A sequel in name only to the The Eye/Gin Gwai. In other words, this movie's link to the first one is merely that a character has the ability to see dead people (ghosts/spirits/souls). Therefore, if you haven't seen the original, don't fret. You will not feel lost. Just by the by, there was a Hollywood version based on the first in this series, starring Jessica Alba. Haven't seen that one. Did see the first and wasn't a huge fan...from memory, some adjectives which came to mind for that were: sentimental, silly (but, to be fair, sometimes creepy too).Anyway, I prefer this sequel to the first. It concerns a pregnant woman in a troubled relationship with a man. She unsuccessfully 'attempts' suicide, and this seems to spark her 6th Sense type ability. As a result, there are many eerie/creepy scenes where we/she sees spirits getting a little too close for comfort.Often sombre and leisurely paced, this is compensated for by being more intellectually rewarding than the first movie. However, you have been warned...don't watch this expecting to see a thrill a minute...this is more slow burn pacing.In a way, I see this movie as being sort of an Asian "The Exorcist". I reviewed The Exorcist here a while back. In that movie, you are made to fear the devil and may run towards the Catholic Church to make you feel safer (not that the Church would have endorsed this movie...pretty sure that they condemned it at the time). Which is to say that in The Eye 2, Asian philosophy, of a metaphysical sort is explored. Specifically, the beliefs of Buddhism. Not really qualified to discuss the philosophy of Buddhism, but, to the extent that this movie draws on Buddhist philosophy (much? not so much?), it is really quite disconcerting to see how that world view would instantiate itself. If Buddhism is true, would this movie comfort you? Or scare you? On second thoughts, maybe this is the movie to scare you into becoming a good Buddhist!At times, this movie does lack realism and tests your willingness to suspend disbelief, as far as 'real life' goes.

TheEmulator23 This for one has nothing to do with the absolutely fantastic first flick. And of course us Americans just have to remake everything successful into English, because man reading subtitles is SOOOOO Hard isn't it! From what I've see in the new trailers with the adorable now pregnant Jessica Alba (well that sure ruins every teenage boys fantasy everywhere doesn't it!) It looks EXACTLY the same but probably w/double the budget. I thought the original was one of the best horror/suspense/mystery flicks I have seen in any language in quite a long while. I would recommend watching that one and skipping this one all together, there is no reason to watch this as there is no reason this even called "The Eye 2" except to capitalize on the excellence that was the first flick. Do yourself a favor watch "The Eye" with the volume turned up and get ready for some probable jumping. I watched it w/headphones on and was pleasantly surprised on the excellence that was the direction of the Pang brothers. If "The Eye" remake does well which I'm hoping it does for the sake of the Pang Brothers movie careers, but at the same time it seems a shame that people won't/can't see the original, because very often/almost always the remake isn't as good as the original. Watch this one if one wants to be mildly kinda of boring flick, but the original is no comparison to this sequel in name only flick.