The Eye
2/4
Starring: Angelica Lee, Lawrence Chou
Rated R for Some Disturbing Images
Not to be confused the the American remake starring Jessica Alba
Japanese horror.
You know what that entails. Some entity that does not understand the term "Rest In Peace" finds a conduit of some kind (a camera, a mirror, a cornea, whatever) to appear as a ghostly shape and terrorize people into solving their problems. So not only does said spirit terrorize people, they make their victims complete their unfinished business. That's doubly cruel.
Like many entries into this genre, "The Eye" isn't actually a Japanese film. It takes place in Hong Kong, and briefly, Thailand. But the formula is the same. A meek and vulnerable woman. Ghostly shapes that terrorize her. And of course people who have trouble crossing into the netherworld. While some of these movies have their fans and defenders (I haven't seen enough to make an opinion on the genre as a whole), this isn't a very good movie. But it does have its moments.
The film centers around a young woman named Mun (Lee). Despite being blind since the age of two, she's gone on to live an independent life as a concert violinist. When the film opens, she's undergoing a procedure that will restore her sight. The surgery works, and to help her cope with the major changes in her life, she is seeing a therapist named Dr. Wah (Chou). But she is having some serious side effects: she's being haunted by spirits of people as they are guided into the afterlife by a mysterious figure. Mun freaked out by this unexpected development (not unreasonably). But to unravel the mystery, she must first understand who her donor was.
In truth, "The Eye" is too bland to leave much of an impression. It has some spooky moments and the Pang brothers clearly have some talent. But the film is just one of those movies that's so lacking that that a few days after viewing it a person could reasonably forget whether they've seen it or not.
Angelica Lee is an adequate horror movie heroine. Which is to say, she's not she's not fingernails-on-the-blackboard irritating. But she's just as lacking as any other horror movie bimbo when it comes to intelligence, so it's not saying much. Lawrence Chou is okay too, but he has even less of a character to play than she does.
I would be lying if I said that "The Eye" is devoid of thrills and chills. They're there, and the Pang brothers show some skill (but not polish) in creating them. The first scare shows us a ghostly figure from Mun's point-of-view. Her hand, which is reaching out for the person in front of her, is in focus but the figure in front of her is not. There's also a jump scare that uses vocalizations to good effect. And the climax, while in need of tighter editing, is nicely staged.
"The Eye" is not a great movie, but if nothing else, it shows that the directors have promise. They just need a better screenplay and more practice to hone in their burgeoning talents.
Starring: Angelica Lee, Lawrence Chou
Rated R for Some Disturbing Images
Not to be confused the the American remake starring Jessica Alba
Japanese horror.
You know what that entails. Some entity that does not understand the term "Rest In Peace" finds a conduit of some kind (a camera, a mirror, a cornea, whatever) to appear as a ghostly shape and terrorize people into solving their problems. So not only does said spirit terrorize people, they make their victims complete their unfinished business. That's doubly cruel.
Like many entries into this genre, "The Eye" isn't actually a Japanese film. It takes place in Hong Kong, and briefly, Thailand. But the formula is the same. A meek and vulnerable woman. Ghostly shapes that terrorize her. And of course people who have trouble crossing into the netherworld. While some of these movies have their fans and defenders (I haven't seen enough to make an opinion on the genre as a whole), this isn't a very good movie. But it does have its moments.
The film centers around a young woman named Mun (Lee). Despite being blind since the age of two, she's gone on to live an independent life as a concert violinist. When the film opens, she's undergoing a procedure that will restore her sight. The surgery works, and to help her cope with the major changes in her life, she is seeing a therapist named Dr. Wah (Chou). But she is having some serious side effects: she's being haunted by spirits of people as they are guided into the afterlife by a mysterious figure. Mun freaked out by this unexpected development (not unreasonably). But to unravel the mystery, she must first understand who her donor was.
In truth, "The Eye" is too bland to leave much of an impression. It has some spooky moments and the Pang brothers clearly have some talent. But the film is just one of those movies that's so lacking that that a few days after viewing it a person could reasonably forget whether they've seen it or not.
Angelica Lee is an adequate horror movie heroine. Which is to say, she's not she's not fingernails-on-the-blackboard irritating. But she's just as lacking as any other horror movie bimbo when it comes to intelligence, so it's not saying much. Lawrence Chou is okay too, but he has even less of a character to play than she does.
I would be lying if I said that "The Eye" is devoid of thrills and chills. They're there, and the Pang brothers show some skill (but not polish) in creating them. The first scare shows us a ghostly figure from Mun's point-of-view. Her hand, which is reaching out for the person in front of her, is in focus but the figure in front of her is not. There's also a jump scare that uses vocalizations to good effect. And the climax, while in need of tighter editing, is nicely staged.
"The Eye" is not a great movie, but if nothing else, it shows that the directors have promise. They just need a better screenplay and more practice to hone in their burgeoning talents.
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