The Movie Diorama
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...
sorinapha
I'm going to preface this by saying that if you haven't seen The Pang Brothers' original film, The Eye (2002), please do, because it's the same plot but better.I watched this film not expecting much, so in that sense I guess my expectations were met, but all in all, this edition is too pretty, too shiny, and try as it may (if you could say it tries) to retain the emotional power of the original, it fails.Alba's performance was solid enough, and young Chloe Grace Moretz is adorable, but all of the side characters come across as self-interested assholes, especially the doctor, who we're supposed to like by the end of the movie, but still comes across as misogynistic and self-absorbed. Since I haven't read the script (and honestly, why would I?), I don't know how much of this was actor's choices and how much of it was in the script, but all in all, the combination of forced, cheap jump scares and average to bad acting made this movie sub-par.Was it a waste of time? No, not if you want to learn how to make good films by studying not so good examples, or even if you just want something to put on in the background while you do other things. But don't expect brilliance.
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!
AD
