Thursday, May 29, 2008
By: Tex Massacre
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I got a little sh*t for enjoying Lionsgate's remake of The Eye, but I will stick to my guns and say it was a pretty descent PG-13 flick, especially after sitting through Warner Bros. crap ONE MISSED CALL. Today Tex sent us his review of the film, which arrives on DVD and Blu-ray June 3rd. Read on to see what he had to say and see if his opinion differs - maybe you DO want to check this out? Eh? Eh?
Jessica Alba stars as Sydney Wells, a world-class violin soloist who lost her sight when she was just 5-years old. After Sydney undergoes a corneal transplant to regain her sight, she’s plagued with visions of horrific events, and haunted by the ghosts of their victims. Is Sydney losing her mind? Are these ghosts actually real and is seeing in fact believing?
THE EYE is a remake of The Pang Brothers 2002 Hong Kong horror film of the same name. As with almost all remakes, this time around the names have changed, but the story’s still the same. Where Directors David Moreau and Xavier Palud’s (THEM) version differentiates from the original, is that it feels like a better-developed story.
The screenplay by genre scribe Sebastian Gutierrez (SNAKES ON A PLANE) is far more complete than the source material. The original film—in typical disjointed Asian Horror fashion—often feels like a highlight-reel of plot points and visual spectacles. The film disarms its viewers by taking place mostly in the day and shocking with left-field supernatural occurrences. But in the end, the original production feels hurried and never provides any insight or background. In the remake, we get all kinds of backstory. In that way, the remake almost feels like a companion piece to the original production, making it feel like a more rounded film. The remake also ups its J-Horror power by setting the production in the dark black and blue world of night. Additionally, it ratchets up the tension and saturates Sydney’s life with even more disembodied souls—including an inspired moment set inside an Asian Restaurant. It’s a rare instance where I can remember liking the re-make as much as I liked the original, but THE EYE is a solid psychological horror thriller—and a PG-13 one to boot. Who knew?
The DVD arrives in a 2-Disc Special Edition, but don’t let that second disc fool you. It’s not added content, it’s all part of this new marketing push to include legitimate Digital Copies as bonus material—so feel free to pop that sucker in and dump the flick to your iPOD without fear of the FBI breaking down your door. So, since Disc 2 is all download, the standard special features can be found on Disc 1.
The big selling point of the special features is the 8 deleted scenes. Most of them are throwaways but two really stand out. The first is a dream sequence where Sydney discovers her eyes bleeding. She then makes her way to the bathroom and in a fit of hysteria rips her new eyes from her skull. It’s mildly gruesome and it was clearly deleted due to the films PG-13 designation. The second notable scene is nothing more than more backstory. This time, some of the suggested subtext between Sydney and Simon—the conductor of her orchestra (played by Rade Serbedzija)—becomes clearer. It’s not necessary in the greater scheme of things, but it is satisfying in the idea that it confirms suspicions presented in the film. If you’re looking for more blood, the only other instance of gore, comes from a sequence in the Hospital hallway, where Sydney steps out at night and the floor is soaked in a sanguinary river.
The only other supplements that THE EYE provides are a set of very short featurettes on the production. The first BIRTH OF SHADOWMAN (1:35) is a look at the digital and practical effects used to make the ghostly figures that ferry the dead around the film. BECOMING SYDNEY (4:47) interviews Alba and dissects the rigors that the actress had to endure for the role—including learning how to play the violin and simulating blindness via a pair of specially made sunglasses. SHADOW WORLD: SEEING THE DEAD (8:31) is the longest and most interesting featurette and it discusses the scientific theory of “Cellular Memory” which the film presents as the basis for the plausibility of the story. It includes cast interviews with Alba and Alessandro Nivola (Dr. Paul Faulkner) as well as a Parapsychologist and others. No one can site studies other than saying “Studies have shown…” but the short definitely serves to pique interest in the reported phenomenon and might have engrossed viewers hitting up the internet for more info. The final segment is THE EYE: AN EXPLOSIVE FINALE (6:07). This bit deconstructs the films final epic disaster sequence from conception (with Matchbox cars) to the final filming.
In terms of executing a watchable remake of a classic Asian Horror film, THE EYE ranks high on the list of well-conceived concepts. With Alba in the lead, the film may well serve as a gateway production, like THE RING and THE GRUDGE in leading newcomers on the path to discovering the original films. That’s never a bad thing in my book. However, perhaps due to the success and accessibility of productions like THE EYE, what Hollywood might end up with, is nothing less than, an all-new legion of worldly horrormaniacs denouncing sequels and remakes of foreign films. Don’t you just love the irony in that?
7/10 or 3 ˝ Skulls
Source: Bloody-Disgusting
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