 
The Eye
MPAA Rating:
 for violence/terror and disturbing contentReviewed by: David Criswell, Ph.D. Offensive
Moviemaking Quality:
Average
Primary Audience:
Teens, Adults
Genre:
Horror, Supernatural Thriller, Drama, Remake
Length:
1 hr. 37 min.
Year of Release:
2008
USA Release:
February 1, 2008 (wide - 2,200 theaters) / DVD: June 3, 2008
“How can you believe your eyes when they’re not yours?”
“The Eye” is the most recent in a line of Asian horror remakes. The original Eye is the biggest horror hit ever to come out of Hong Kong and has actually been remade previously in India (skip that one). The new Eye stars Jessica Alba and is, of course, set in America as well as a sidetrip to Mexico. Now some will immediately scoff at yet another Asian horror remake, and except for “The Ring” and “The Grudge,” most of the J-horror remakes have not endeared themselves to fans. Of course, horror movies usually cater to a specific target audience anyway, so this has not been particularly harmful to the seemingly new genre of horror. In fact, “The Eye” is probably the best since “The Grudge” despite some obvious flaws. Indeed, the very reason that most secular critics despite the Eye is the reason that it had some appeal to me. My local newspaper decried the fact that the Eye had little violence or terror (although ample enough to warrant a PG-13 rating). For the Christian, this may be a good sign, but don't be fooled. It deserves is PG-13 rating and there is plenty of violence and horror for those not used to the slasher genre or Quinten Tarantino films. The story is about a blind woman who receives corneal transplant to regain her sight. Her new eyes, however, have a strange side effect; they can see the spiritual world. They can see dead people. Yes, “The Eye” was an Asian spin off of M. Night Shayamalan's “Sixth Sense,” but it was original in its presentation. Perhaps in anticipation of critics who would scoff at the similarity to the Sixth Sense there is a scene in the movie in which Alba is mocked for seeing “dead people.” If you can get past this similarity the film is fairly effective. As the film progresses Alba wants to find out to whom her eyes originally belonged. Even when she looks in the mirror she sees not her own face, but the face of the original owner. What happened to her and why is she seeing these horrifying things? “The Eye” follows the original Hong Kong movie closely with one noticeable difference. The ending of the movie was subtly changed, but that change brought a certain hope and purpose to the film which was lacking in the original. I will not give a spoiler here, except to say that the ending is a little more upbeat and suggest that there is a purpose for what happened to her. Now purpose aside, the film is clearly eastern in mysticism. There is talk of spirits who are “unable to find rest.” This is a concept directly at odds with the Bible where it is declared that “it is appointed for man to die once, and then comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Spirits do not wander nor get lost. The angels of death in this film are also far different from any Biblical conception and are fearsome and 'angry' creatures. The entire premise of the film is, therefore, pagan and at odds with the Biblical worldview. Christianity is absent from the film, although witchcraft and psychic abilities are very evident. In terms of moral content, “The Eye” was remarkably free from foul language. There were a few exclamations of God, but no foul words that I heard (I may occasionally miss a few) and no sex. Some revealing outfits were apparent throughout the course of the film but no nudity, although in one scene where the rough outline of a woman can be seen through a foggy shower stall. Violence was the reason for the PG-13 rating. The film open with a suicide. We see scenes of people on fire, burned and charred faces, bloody eyes are seen in dream sequences, there is even a glimpse of a man whose face has been ripped off, and a woman is seen thrashing about after hanging herself. The violence is, therefore, entirely inappropriate for any youngsters or children. Ultimately, “The Eye” will appeal to fans of the J-horror genre. If you have not seen the original Eye, then this film will probably appeal to you even more. In some respects it is inferior to the original, but some ways they improved it. If you are looking for a shock a minute slasher film then stay away, but if you are looking for a moody tense horror film in the J-horror style, then “The Eye” is certainly one of the better remakes, but keep young children and impressionable youngsters away as the film is still pagan and violent. Violence: Heavy / Profanity: Minor / Sex/Nudity: Minor See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.   Comments below:
Positive
Positive - Well, first off I'd like to say that after reading the review here I was skeptical of seeing 'The Eye' because of the way they described the violence at the end, but after seeing the movie I couldn't figure out why they put it in such graphic terms. This film is very well done with some great jumps scenes (nothing that is going to really scare you). The photography was great as well as setting the mood of the film, and, truthfully, I saw little or no resemblance to “The Sixth Sense,” other than she could see dead people. The violence in this film is so mild that it really surprised me. The movie really relies on jump scenes for the scares, and, best of all, you don't usually expect them. Neutral
Neutral - I went with a cousin of mine whose wife wanted to see it, and it was a little better than I expected. It didn't have a lot of scary scenes, just a few. Jessica Alba does a great job, and so did Parker Posey as her sister. It was really done well, and the music matched the movie's dark tone. It felt a little weak towards the end. I would recommend it for someone who likes scary movies, but it does contain one shot of nudity and has minimal bad words though. Be warned. Negative
Negative - I was sitting in the theater beside a young male Asian who evidently haven't seen the original Hong Kong-Thai “The Eye.” He was jumping in all the right places, but to me it was over redundant. The opening scene was so far off, that I thought I was watching the wrong movie. In the original film, what the Pang Brothers did was ingenuous for the opening sequence. Against a white wall, from behind it, we see shadows touching the wall like fingers swirling across the screen and the music intensify our sense of horror that is to come. Angelica Lee who played Mun, the young woman who received the corneal transplant, with subtle expressive nuisances is tough to be out done by Jessica Alba. Alba is pretty, but her acting is far from impressive. Her Sydney Wells is not well at all. Alba was not once believed to have been blind and the people around her were never really fleshed out, even the wonderful Parker Posey and Alessandro Nivola were left with very little to do. Posey was perfect for her role of the sister. Then there's the doctor, which I thought Nivola was a good cast verses the original, Lawrence Chou, was too young and out of place, but unfortunately, here, the doctor relegated to a walking cliche. It didn't help that his character was annoying when the change of heart came along, what gives? Comments from young people
Positive - Oh my goodness, this film was probably one of the cleanest horror films I have ever seen! …there was NO language; it didn't even say the Lord's name in vain, so whoever is saying that it does, it doesn't! …there is no romance or anything like that, nobody even kisses, so if you saying that the sex/nudity is moderate, how can you there isn't any, if you are referring to the part where she is in the shower it really doesn't show anything! It is quite a bit scary though! But, see it, it's very good and clean!!! Positive - This was definitely a clean horror film. It was full of suspense, no nudity, no bad language, and nothing gory. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who loves being freaked out and put on the edge of their seat.… |
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