The Eye (2008)

A woman receives an eye transplant that allows her to see into the supernatural world.

Directors:

David Moreau, Xavier Palud

Writers:

Sebastian Gutierrez (screenplay), Yuet-Jan Hui

Stars:

Jessica Alba, Alessandro Nivola, Parker Posey

2 wins & 3 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.

---

Plot Keywords:

eye | violinist | eye transplant | seeing dead people | cellular memory | 

---

Taglines:

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

---

Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violence/terror and disturbing content

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [United States]

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

1 February 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Oko

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, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$31,418,697, 10 April 2008

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$56,964,642

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

While filming at the University of British Columbia, Jessica Alba would often mess up her lines and, upon doing so, would systematically scream the "F" word at the top of her lungs. Eventually, the annoyed crew started echoing her screams throughout the building.

---

Goofs

When Helen drives Sydney home from the hospital, the camera outside the passenger seat window is reflecting in Sydney's sunglasses.

---

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...

---

Connections

Featured in Getaway: Episode #17.6 (2008)

---

Soundtracks

Purple Bamboo
Traditional
Arrangement by Cheng Yu
Courtesy of Extreme Production Music USA

User Reviews

A Nutshell Review: The Eye

So I haven't watched the original Eye movie by the Pang Brothers, but I guess with remakes these days, it doesn't really matter, since most of the time, the Hollywood remade version pales in comparison with the original, despite having a bigger budget, bigger stars and of course, better visual effects. And what almost always seem woeful, is the attempt to try and recreate the atmospherics for a spook fest that Asian horror had perfected, and I'm inclined to suggest that they should adapt the storyline (since there's a creative dearth of ideas), but leave the mimicking of mood at the door.

This is probably the first movie that Jessica Alba marquees, and comparisons would be abound for those who've watched the original to compare her to Angelica Lee's performance. But really, I don't think it matters, since all you need to do is to look scared. As blind violinist Sydney, Alba escapes the need to act blind given the cop out of using shades, coupled with the fact that her transplanted eyes allow for the camera to be out of focus for the most parts.

Things start to get interesting when she begins to see shadowy figures borrowed straight out of Pulse (yet another Asian horror remake), and these all get conveniently debunked by her doctor Paul (Alessandro Nivola who stars as the hopeless, formless Gavin Harris in the Goal movies), because if you're blind for so many years, your brain needs some major time out to absorb all the new sights you're constantly bombarded with. So goes as with standard horror fare, that those who can see spirits when others can't, are classified as nutcases. Alba's no scream queen as the proceedings don't allow her to exercise her lungs, and I swear there are just too many of those waking up from nightmare moments, and the clock ticking around 1:05am.

But credit is due though to the scenes which aim to frighten, and some did hit the mark even though they're the usual tools to surprise from the bag of Boo tricks. There are, to me, a major unexpected moment which I had to nod in acknowledgement of not seeing it coming (I had thought otherwise), but unfortunately, that was it. The latter half of the journey became a road trip movie which seeked answers, coupled with Hollywood's preoccupation of having to explain and show everything, leaving little to your imagination since everything was spelt out. While the story's not at fault, the way it's presented made this look like a standard mystery thriller, without the mystery, and without the thrills.

And the finale was a little lacklustre as it seemed to be styled in Final Destination fashion, making it look like it had no more rabbits to pull out of the hat. The Eye had plenty of neat visual effects, and although there are some beautiful stunts involving glass shards and the walking through of objects, special effects alone do not make a horror movie spine-chilling. Looks like there's some major sty in this eye.