rooprect If you're looking for a pulse-pounding horror thriller, you won't find that here. If you're looking for a spooky ghost story, you might want to move on. If you're looking for blood & guts & body parts, don't even waste a minute of your time."The Eye" isn't so much a horror flick as it is a supernatural drama.This film is a remake of the 2002 Chinese "The Eye" which I haven't seen, so I can't (and probably shouldn't) compare the two. I thought this was a nicely done film, more of an intimate character study than a scary "gotcha" flick. In that respect it's similar to "The Sixth Sense", and not just the story. Like "The Sixth Sense" which was a slow moving psychological drama that just happened to have dead people in it, "The Eye" takes a personal approach as well. And while that may bore the audience members who are expecting some screams, it ultimately results in a film with a little bit more to say than your average screamer.Jessica Alba ("Sydney") does a great job of playing a woman who has been blind since age 5, a loner, someone who doesn't seem to have many connections with people and she likes it that way. The underlying theme is that her blindness makes her feel unique, exempt from the real world. When she regains her sight after 15 years by a corneal transplant, it's not necessarily the wonderful experience you'd expect. There's a scene when she comes back from the hospital to a surprise party, and the scene is filmed with unsettling, distorted closeups of strange faces. It perfectly expresses the confusion and claustrophobia of not just a blind person gaining her sight, but that of an introvert being forced into society. That enough could've been enough for a feature length film: how a woman deals with the "gift" of sight which she doesn't really want. But it doesn't end there. She starts seeing dead people, too.While we never really feel like Sydney is in any deadly peril, there are a few very effective surprises which, I gotta admit, quickened my pulse a few notches. Also the "shadow men" were very creepy, and if you want to see a real shocker, check out the bonus features where we learn that the shadow men are not cgi graphics, but it's an actual dude... a sort of living skeleton who looks just as bizarre in real life than on screen.The 2nd half of the film becomes a mystery as Sydney tries to figure out why she's getting these disturbing visions and what she's supposed to do about it. Again, no hair raising car chases or shootouts here, just a thick atmosphere of the unknown.Like I said, I haven't seen the original Chinese film, but I can tell that the American filmmakers were trying to add a degree of backstory. In the bonus features they talk about the science of "cellular memory" (the idea that donated organs possess characteristics that are imparted to the new recipient). So I can assume that this is less of a visceral shocker (like the original?) as it is an intellectual approach. There's also the psychology bit I mentioned above. And it also touches on the idea that artists, musicians & creative thinkers are more sensitive to supernatural events (Sydney is a concert violinist). In short, "The Eye" sacrifices the raw approach of a typical action-horror flick, and instead replaces it with more of a slow-moving, scientific or "rational" approach to the supernatural.Depending on your preference, that's a good or bad thing. I can go either way depending on my mood; once in a while I like to think, whereas other times I just want to see Freddy slice some people to ribbons. "The Eye" definitely falls on the thinking side of that scale. Other thinking horror flicks I recommend are "Exorcist III" (one of the BEST), "The Others" with Nicole Kidman, and of course "The Sixth Sense".

SnoopyStyle 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.

ashleybrownmedia From what I'd seen critics had lined up to pan this film, so for several years I didn't worry about it, and admittedly I've not seen the original version.However it's been bouncing around netflix recently and so I thought 'why not give it a go!?' - and do you know what? I was pleasantly surprised. It's never going to win any Oscars - but then again, I don't think it was made with that in mind, but for what it is it's a very solid film. The reason why I've given it a seven instead of a six (and it's not just due to the fact that Jessica alba is gorgeous) is because it does something that few horrors do nowadays, it actually builds a feeling of dread and suspense, playing off of the main character's blindness and sudden ability to see things very well. I'm not one for jumping normally but the sound is used to great effect here, and as I was listening through headphones I got it full throttle!

Theo Robertson Female violinist Sydney Wells was blinded as a child by a firecracker . Receiving a cornea transplant she regains her eyesight . Any joy at this is soon outlived by demonic visions she starts experiencing . Is she suffering mental illness or is there a more supernatural reason at play ? THE EYE is a Hollywood remake of a 2002 Hong Kong chiller which I haven't seen and so can't compare to this remake . This shouldn't have any bearing since a remake should stand on its own hind legs and as a supernatural chiller THE EYE is moderately scary . That is until you realise it startles its audience by using every cliché in the book especially the sound mix where the film is silent for a couple of seconds then BANG a loud noise causes the audience to jump out of their seats . It is effective though it's a pretty cheap trick but considering Sydney has had a cornea transplant why does her sense of hearing suddenly become so sensitive ? I guess you're not supposed to think about this too much And this is a film you're not supposed to think about . We're shown grotesque shadows leading the dead off to a probable afterlife and this ties in with the original donor having second sight but again if you stop to think about it the whole concept seems nonsensical if you examine it in depth . Surely having a clairvoyant ability to foretell death is down to more than just eyesight ? Surely other parts of the brain is involved ? Perhaps I'm over analyzing the plotting but the whole tone and pompous mood of the film draws attention to itself to its own detriment