| | | You Won't Believe Her Eyes.
Features: DVD, Widescreen, English, Subtitled, Spanish, Dolby Digital (5.1)
Sydney Wells is blind and has been so since a childhood tragedy. After undergoing surgery to restore her sight she learns to see again. But soon after, unexplainable shadowy and frightening images start to haunt her. Not knowing if they are an aftermath of surgery, her mind adjusting to sight, her imagination, or something horrifyingly real, Sydney is soon convinced that her anonymous eye donor has somehow opened the door to a terrifying world only she can now see.
"Louder and more literal than its inspiration, The Eye benefits from a spiky performance by Alessandro Nivola as Sydney's rehabilitation counselor." Jeannette Catsoulis, The New York Times
"A quirkily efficient genre exercise that knows exactly where and when to administer its cattle-prod shivers." Stephen Cole, The Globe and Mail
Editor's Note
THE EYE adapts the influential 2002 Hong Kong ghost tale by the Pang brothers into a star vehicle for Jessica Alba. While it remains faithful to the original story, this version ups the number of jolts for thrill-seeking Western audiences. Writing/directing team David Moreau and Xavier Palud, creators of the popular 2006 French thriller THEM, make their U.S. debut with a screenplay by Sebastian Gutierrez (SNAKES ON A PLANE), putting a few new twists on a cult favorite.Concert violinist Sydney Wells (Alba) has been blind since she was five, when an accident involving firecrackers damaged her corneas. Now in her mid-20s, she has just undergone a transplant, a risky procedure that is not always successful. When the bandages come off, her sight slowly returns, and everything she sees is a new experience. A happy occasion becomes terrifying, though, when she begins to see horrifying visions of the dead. Fearing that she's losing her sanity, she enlists the help of Dr. Paul Faulkner (Alessandro Nivola), who uncovers the identity of the donor of her new corneas and travels with her to Mexico to unravel the mystery of her horrific visions. Spare and effective, THE EYE retains the two most startling sequences from the original film--a truly chilling floating dead man in an elevator and an elaborate, explosive set piece at the conclusion. Moreau, Palud, and Gutierrez jazz the story up in other spots, with quick scares, sharp music cues, and twitchy apparitions reminiscent of those in JACOB'S LADDER, but the essence remains the same. Alba is fine as damsel in distress Sydney, and the always-enjoyable Parker Posey is uncharacteristically low-key as her airline hostess sister. With no gore or anything else objectionable, the film may also be good choice for younger viewers who enjoy a good scare.
| Features | Audio: English, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Dubbed: Spanish | | Includes Both Widescreen & Full Screen Versions Of The Film! | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English, Spanish |
| Technical Info
|
Release Information
| | Studio: Lions Gate |
| Release Date: 6/3/2008 |
| Running Time: 97 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2008 | | Catalog ID: 24236 | | UPC: 00031398242369 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English | | Available Subtitles: English, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Widescreen/Standard 2.35:1/1.33:1 [4:3] |
| Cast & Crew
|
| | Professional Reviews | ReelViews 6 of 10
The Eye is another PG-13 ghost story adapted from an Asian original, and that probably says all that needs to be said about it. Want more evidence of why is may not be the best choice for an evening's entertainment? It stars one of the most attractive, wooden actresses working today: Jessica Alba. It wasn't screened for critics. And the bad guys look like second-rate Voldemort rip-offs. Actually, all things considered, The Eye works well enough during its first hour that it might fool some viewers into thinking it's going to overcome those negative traits. Alas, the movie lives up to its legacy with a mind bogglingly dumb and disappointing final half hour. Once again, we are faced with a movie featuring an interesting premise and solid set-up that falls apart when it comes to the climax and conclusion...Had I departed this movie around the time that Sydney's friends and family are becoming concerned about her mental health, I might have believed this wasn't a bad little horror film. Unfortunately, the final act (the Mexico sequences) illustrate where to take a ghost story if you want to exchange old-fashioned horror for a grilled cheese sandwich. When it comes to showing something to end the second-rate horror drought, The Eye is blind. - James Berardinelli
|
| |
|
|
|
