The Eye (2008)

Arriving in theaters early this year, 'The Eye' is the latest in a series of recent Asian horror film remakes that have failed to make much of an impression on US audiences. A more or less faithful update of the Pang Brothers' 2002 Hong Kong ghost-fest (one that's already spawned three sequels of its own), the US directorial reigns have been handed over to another team, Frenchmen David Moreau and Xavier Palud ('Them'), and the results may be derivative, but at least they're competent.

Jessica Alba stars as Sydney Wells, a young woman who was blinded in an accident at the age of 5. Now a successful concert violinist, Sydney undergoes an experimental surgery that restores her eyesight, leading to an almost immediate series of bizarre hallucinations. Her sister (Parker Posey), sympathetic conductor (Rade Serbedzija) and overseeing specialist (Alessandro Nivola) initially think her visions are a side-effect of the surgery and Sydney's slow adaptation to the overwhelming sensations of her new world.

Of course, this being a horror film, we soon learn that the ghosts Sydney is seeing are real -- and so are her increasingly-violent premonitions of death and murder. After she begins to experience a recurring vision of a fire, Sydney meets the ghost of the anonymous eye donor (Fernanda Romero) who gifted her with sight. Determined to finally confront the mystery behind her nightmare, Sydney heads down to Mexico with her doctor to commune with the dead that are stalking her.

The best aspect of 'The Eye' is the sense of mood and dread that Moreau and Palud are able to generate early on in the film. The ominous corridors of the hospital clash nicely with the more serene real world that Sydney previously inhabited (the prominent use of violins in the score also helps give 'The Eye' an off-kilter balance unusual for a modern American horror film). Sydney's visions also have some impact, even if, after so many 'Grudge' and 'Ring' clones, the sight of spooky-spooks hardly shocks much on their own much any more.

Unfortunately, 'The Eye' ultimately falls apart due to the overly-literal script by Sebastian Gutierrez. Over and over, plot machinations are explained away, leaving so much gobbledygook that after a while the film becomes more pedestrian than it is puzzling. Nothing is more lethal in a horror film than dispelling the mystery with exposition, but that's exactly the fate that befalls 'The Eye' (the unknown is always scarier than the known). At least 'The Eye' mangaes to avoid a number of genre cliches in its last reel, thankfully sparing us the annoying "one last gotcha scare!" overload of so many horror films these days, but overall it's a little too little, too late.

'Eye' also suffers from the casting of Alba in its lead role. Though it's unfair to criticize her for her stunning beauty, I've never felt that she's delivered a truly capable performance, and this is a film that rests squarely on her shoulders. To be fair, she is able to at times effectively convey vulnerability, but ultimately she seems unable to handle the more dramatic demands of the role. More capable are Posey and Nivola, though their roles (particularly Posey's) are too secondary to overcome the lack of a truly strong female lead.

Despite such faults, 'The Eye' isn't a total failure and remains worth a baseline rental for die-hard horror fans. I liked the atmosphere, I like moments of Alba's performance, and there are few creepy moments that do deliver chills. I wish 'The Eye' had resisted the urge to become so obvious at times, and I think the script ultimately lets down the more artful leanings of Moreau and Palud. But for at least some of its runtime, 'The Eye' is a decent enough remake.