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.

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Plot Keywords:

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

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Taglines:

You Won't Believe Her Eyes.

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery

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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.

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Goofs

During the scene where Dr. Faulkner gives Sydney her donor's information, we can see the distance between the taxi and a Fedex Kinko's office change. As the taxi is taking off, the Fedex office starts to look more distant. When Faulkner stops the taxi abruptly and makes Sydney get off it, the distance between the taxi and Fedex has shrunk considerably. This implies that the taxi went forward and then backward, when it was clearly just going forward.

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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

Featured in Getaway: Episode #17.6 (2008)

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Soundtracks

Sonata for Violin & Piano No. 5 in F Major (Spring), Op. 24
Written by Ludwig van Beethoven
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.