The Eye (2002)

Such a frustrating disappointment

Don't listen to the negative reviews

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Blessed with the gift of sight after a successful corneal transplant operation, a blind girl gradually realises that her new eyes also allow her to see the wandering, lost souls of dead people in this Hong Kong horror movie. The film has some striking similarities to 'The Sixth Sense', however, there is actually much more in the way of character development here and Angelica Lee provides a fantastic turn as the fragile protagonist. Particularly interesting are her early scenes in which she begins to re-learn visual language and visual cues; a great film could have been made out of this transition back to sight (having been blind for around two decades) alone. That said, the horror element works fairly well with some eerie dissolve editing as her bedroom keeps changing appearance and excellent use of out-of-focus shots and mobile camera-work. There are a few jolts but the film is more veered towards the plain creepy, such as her having elongated conversations before it is revealed that she is talking to someone not there. The film loses its way a little towards the end with the whole final third set in Thailand never quite gelling all that well. Weak as this section may be though, it is capped off with one surefire memorable final scene that makes a perfect bookend to how the film opens, plus while the quality of the narrative varies throughout, Angelica Lee is never less than divine.

After a cornea transplant heals her long standing blindness, a young woman sees visions of the dead that lead her into the tragic future. Or is it the past?Good ghost concept diluted by melodrama. Asian horror is so neat with its plot hinges as layers of deception are unfolded, and often it's grim and spooky. Here we have the usual scenario where a sensitive innocent is burdened with the task of uncovering an old injustice. Plenty of character - but too much dialogue, too much romance, as the story bobs about on a slack current.The pace tightens up at the end, only to deliver a false climax followed by an overblown emergency. Music is big, sometimes interesting before descending into plink-plonk piano. The photography messes with the concept of blindness, but fails to create a visual world and relies too much on ramshackle CGI.The performances are OK, and the heroine's mother and the boy with the tumour had good parts. No memorable lines, although it was interesting to see English briefly used in a HK/Thai crossover.Overall, I guess the problem is with the directors/producers, who seem to have bought a good story then splashed it with marketing gunk.

Ghosts are perfect fodder for horror movies, but they are rarely depicted as chilling or creepy. Most ghost movies are filled with stingers, CGI, and are neutered by a PG-13 rating. The Eye, however, creeps up on you (pun intended) and will make the hairs on your arms stand on end.A young girl, blind from the age of 2, is given a cornea transplant and slowly adjusts to being able to see again. But she sees beyond our world and is haunted by the spirits of the dead in her Hong Kong neighborhood. The movement, behavior, and appearances of the ghosts are just mesmerizing. THIS is how you do ghost movies. I also liked the shadow people, moving as blurs, guiding the recently dead into the afterlife. Twin writer/directors Danny and Oxide Pang have pulled off one of the best horror films in the past decade and have done it with more integrity than M. Night Shyamalan.The Eye is not a slick, high-key film. It is shot in a rough, gritty texture that reminds me of late-80s horror such as Hellraiser and Paperhouse. It's a far more appropriate and engaging aesthetic than anything offered by Platinum Dunes or Dark Castle. There is a Hollywood remake, made in 200 but I couldn't care less about it. The 2002 HK version is the way to go.

~Spoiler~The Eye is one of the original properties that was responsible for getting everyone excited over Asian horror. I remember liking the film the first time I saw it, however, watching it now I find that it's a bit boring. Well, the first half of the film is still engaging, but the latter is tedious and uninteresting to me. In the beginning of the film, we find 20 year old Mun, who has been blind for most of her life, has just had a successful cornea transplant. The operation allows her to see once again. But this new sight is more than she bargained for. She now has the ability, or curse, to see apparitions. There are some genuinely creepy moments where Mun is discovering that she can see ghosts. One involving an elevator is downright unnerving. When Mun decides to find out who the donor of her cornea was, the film turns into a kind of supernatural mystery and doesn't offer up anymore chills. That's where they went wrong. The Pang Brothers have a knack for generating some good scares. Unfortunately thus far they've put those scares into sub-par films (i.e. The Eye 2 and The Messengers). If you like films such as the original Shutter, you will probably find something to like here.