The Eye (2008)

Violinist Sydney Wells was accidentally blinded by her sister Helen when she was five years old. She submits to a cornea transplantation, and while recovering from the operation, she realizes that she is seeing dead people.

Directors:

David Moreau, Xavier Palud

Writers:

Sebastian Gutierrez (screenplay), Yuet-Jan Hui

Stars:

Jessica Alba, Alessandro Nivola, Parker Posey

2 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jessica Alba	...	Sydney Wells
Alessandro Nivola	...	Dr. Paul Faulkner
Parker Posey	...	Helen Wells
Rade Serbedzija	...	Simon McCullough
Fernanda Romero	...	Ana Christina Martinez
Rachel Ticotin	...	Rosa Martinez
Obba Babatundé	...	Dr. Haskins
Danny Mora	...	Miguel
Chloë Grace Moretz	...	Alicia
Brett A. Haworth	...	Shadowman
Kevin Phan	...	Tomi Cheung (as Kevin K.)
Tamlyn Tomita	...	Mrs. Cheung
Esodie Geiger	...	Nurse
Karen Elizabeth Austin	...	Mrs. Hillman (as Karen Austin)
Ryan J. Pezdirc	...	Nurse Room Attendant

Storyline

The violinist Sydney Wells has been blind since she was five years old due to an accident. She submits to a surgery of cornea transplantation to recover her vision, and while recovering from the operation, she realizes that she's having strange visions. With the support of Dr. Paul Faulkner, Sidney finds who the donor of her eyes and begins a journey to find out the truth behind her visions.

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Plot Keywords:

corneal transplant | eye | violinist | eye transplant | seeing dead people | 

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Taglines:

How Can You Believe Your Eyes When They're Not Yours?

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violence/terror and disturbing content

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jessica Alba was shocked at how much co-directors Xavier Palud and David Moreau smoked, but was impressed by their creativity and taste in food.

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Goofs

When Sydney gets out of the shower and is in the room with her sister, Sydney says "I need to find out who she is" and then her sister replies with "Who?" but her mouth is saying something else.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Teen on Skateboard: Oh, shit. Thanks. I didn't see that.
Sydney Wells: Neither did I.
Sydney Wells: [voice-over while Sydney walks in the street and settles in a café] People say seeing is believing, but for me, that's not entirely true. I lost my sight when I was five years old. Those memories of what I have seen have faded so much that I doubt I'd even recognize myself anymore. Now I see using my other senses. I can smell the rain before it drops, but I can't watch it fall. I can feel the sun on my face, but I can't see it rise ...

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Connections

Remake of The Eye (2002)

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Soundtracks

Violin Concerto No. 3 in G Major (Adagio), K. 216
Written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Arranged by Ceiri Torjussen

User Reviews

Another blinking remake!

With virtually every successful Asian horror movie of the last few years having already been remade by Hollywood, it was only a matter of time before Gin gwai (AKA The Eye) got the treatment, despite the original not really being all that great (I found it fairly entertaining, but unexceptional—my rating: 6/10).

Jessica Alba plays Sydney Wells, a blind violinist who receives a cornea transplant only to discover that her new set of peepers allow her to see much more than she had originally bargained for: Sydney can see dead people!! Aided by her doctor, she attempts to unravel the terrible secret behind her scary supernatural power.

Directed by David Moreau and Xavier Palud, The Eye is a totally unnecessary and dreary remake that copies parts of original verbatim, alters scenes that should have been left well alone (the creepy cafe meat-licking scene has gone, and the downbeat ending has been swapped for a typical Hollywood crowd pleaser), and totally botches what should be the scariest bit of the whole film (the lift scene is VERY disappointing).

Take my advice: If you've already seen Gin gwai, then stay away from The Eye.

Details

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

1 February 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Eye

Filming Locations:

800 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$12,425,776, 3 February 2008

Gross USA:

$31,418,697

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$58,010,320

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lionsgate, Paramount Vantage, Cruise/Wagner Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min 92 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1