By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.2 cats
Director: Danny Pang | Oxide Pang Chung
Starring: Angelica Lee | Chutcha Rujinanon | Lawrence Chou | Yut Lai So
Original language title: Gin gwai
Country: united_kingdom
Year: 2003
Running time: 114
IMDB: http://us.imdb.com/Details?0325655
Howard says: “See this before Tom Cruise’s company turns it into Hollywood schlock. THE EYE is the latest of the Asian films to be bought up by the power brokers in Tinsel Town and like THE RING will probably be better in its original language.
“THE EYE tells the story of a young, blind woman who receives the eyes of another to regain her sight. In the beginning all she sees is the out-of-focus shadows of people who may or may not actually be there. Once the film moves into its middle third, it reaches its peak. The Pang brothers do a marvelous job of bringing you right into the film and making you feel what it would be like to be about to see the spirits of the dead.
“There are a lot of parallels to THE SIXTH SENSE, but with more of a Taoist spiritual aspect; however, even the Taoism is keep to a minimum as if the filmmakers are embarrassed by the beliefs in the script. This not only leaves the film a bit unsatisfying, but also leaves a couple of unresolved issues in the film.
“Beyond that though THE EYE is a well-acted ghost story with a couple of scares in it. If only the feeling of the film’s second act could have been expanded into the third, then it would have been a great ghost story.” 2 1/2 cats
Michael says: “With THE EYE, Hong Kong’s Pang Brothers give us their answer to Japan’s RINGU. The two films have a lot in common, including moments of creepy, spine-tingling suspense, a perceived resolution to the problem before pulling out all the stops in a visual spectacle that wows the audience, as well as cheesey dialogue and the need for an audience that swallows the supernatural. THE EYE is not a perfect film, in fact, there are moments where you can’t help but laugh at some of the stilted acting and bland dialogue, but the powerful visual effects and goosebump-inducing chills make the overall experience fun, fun, fun!
“Eighteen year old Mun has been blind since the age of two. After receiving a cornea transplant, she begins to see things that normal people shouldn’t see. It’s not a very original tale, and the plot carries few surprises. But the film is presented to us in such a fascinating and creepy way, you can’t help but enjoy it. Especially the first half, where Mun must cope not only with her vision, after a lifetime of darkness, but odd, sometimes nightmarish visions that she must determine whether they are real or imaginary. There’s talk of blind people who regain their sight retreating into alienation and isolation, and there’s an effective scene of Mun doing just that when she can’t take the horrors she witnesses another moment.
“Angelica Lee does a terrific job as Mun, both convincing us she is first blind, then slowly adjusting to her sight, and finally taking us on her journey of confusion, to terror, to resolve in a powerful and believable manner. Yut Lai So plays Ying Ying, a young girl dying of cancer who befriends Mun, and only the hardest hearts will fail to be captivated by her sad-eyed warmth. Unfortunately, the film is let down by the male supporting cast. Lawrence Chou, Edmund Chen, and Pierre Png as Dr. Wah, Dr. Lo, and Dr. Eak convey their lines so woodenly (and the dialog rather uninspired) you’ll think you’re suddenly watching a Chinese version of ‘General Hospital.’
“But I still really liked this film. There are some incredibly effective scenes, Mun in an elevator, Mun at a calligraphy lesson, Mun at a dumpling shop, Mun isolating herself in her bedroom, Mun bidding Ying Ying farewell, and of course, the explosive final scene. I can’t really imagine how the U.S. version will play out. There’s something inherently Asian about films like THE EYE and RINGU (although look how well THE RING did!) An easier acceptance of spirits and the supernatural perhaps. At any rate, I recommend THE EYE… just don’t take it too seriously.” 3 1/2 cats
Bob says: “This one was a lot of fun – not quite as creepy as I’d hoped, but I know some people who’d likely watch the entire film through their fingers, ready to block the view whenever necessary.
“The EYE starts out exceptionally well. Even the opening credits are great, with their little William Castle-esque trick. However, there’s an awful lot of hokeyness (if that’s a word) in there, particularly the male characters, and that detracts a lot from the atmosphere – they’re not comic relief; they’re just bad.
“The scenes Michael lists (particularly the calligraphy lesson) are very effective. There’s definitely a lot of good, fairly original material here, in a genre that for the most part has been beaten to death… so to speak. On what looks like a pretty low budget, the Pangs have done a nice job of creating some atmosphere and building tension, and I have to admit, there were a few plot twists that I did not see coming. I think anyone who thought THE SIXTH SENSE was the best film of this sort would be quite surprised by THE EYE. And who knows, maybe in Mandarin the dialog isn’t quite so dumb.”
Hilary says: “I was a bit less impressed than the other Chlotrudis viewers by this one — I wasn’t as compelled nor as scared as I anticipated being.
“In the first part of the film the visual effects, cinematography, and sound design are used to great effect. I was scared and curious, watching through my fingers at times, waiting to see what would happen next. I thought that they did a great job portraying the environment as a blind/gradually sighted woman would experience it — initially all sounds were very loud, light was blurred and shapes were somewhat indistinct.
“Disappointingly, halfway through the film the tone and plot switch from psychological thriller to a cheesy, formulaic whodunit. The second half should be called ‘The Mystery of the Haunted Corneas.’ This may be due to the fact that at this point the action shifts from a crowded urban setting to the Thai countryside. There were potentially scary elements — a creepy, low-tech hospital, dark woods/jungle, people living in dark shacks with few lights — but it never really delivered. Once Mun and Dr. Lo were in Thailand, the tension dissipated quickly (along with my interest in the story).
“I was also disappointed that all the male roles, particularly that of Dr. Lo (the younger), were so shallow. As Mun’s psychotherapist who will ‘teach’ her to see, there was a lot of potential in his character. Sadly they copped out to a dopey romantic subplot rather than delving into psychological elements; another major tension disruption.
However, Oxide Pang still has one of the coolest names ever.”
Laura says: “The directing/editing team of brothers Danny and Oxide Pang (BANGKOK DANGEROUS) make their Chinese entry into the Asian horror boom with THE EYE. Writers Oxide Pang and Jo Jo Yuet-chun Hui borrow liberally from such films as THE SIXTH SENSE, THE EYES OF LAURA MARS and even AT FIRST SIGHT, ensuring that any genre buff will know exactly where THE EYE is headed, but the Pangs, cinematographer Decha Srimantra and their special effects team deliver enough stylish jolts to make this a worthy addition to the horror catalog.
“The film begins cheekily by making the audience think the film’s caught in the projector gate, then neatly issues its title credits in braille against a white film being ‘read’ by hands on the other side (a device that loses its effectiveness quickly). We’re catapulted into the hospital with Mun and her 10-year old roommate Yingying (Yut Lai So), a cancer patient it’s easy to guess will be conversing with Mun after death. As Mun’s sister Yee (Candy Lo, TIME AND TIDE) and grandmother (Yin Ping Ko) watch anxiously, Dr. Lo removes Mun’s bandages, but the bright light and good sense make Mun retreat behind her eye coverings. Shed of them the following day, Mun spends quite a bit of time looking into a mirror (whose reflection is kept from the audience), then witnesses an old woman led away by a shadowy figure, then discovers the woman in the hallway moaning about cold. At home grandmother becomes alarmed when Mun mentions a boy looking for his report card and begins exorcism rituals. Mun dreams of an unfamiliar place, and awakens terrified to find herself in a room that takes its time morphing back into her familiar one. Upon witnessing Mun’s distress, Wah strong arms his uncle into obtaining the cornea donor’s file and he and Mun travel to Thailand to investigate.
“Angelica Lee gives a textured performance, thoroughly believable first as a blind woman, then someone readjusting to sight. She shades her reactions gradually from curiosity to confusion to fear. The other performances are generic, with the exception of young Yut Lai So as Yingying, a character we mourn along with Mun. Chutcha Rujinanon has presence as Ling, but she’s relegated to creepy posturing and flashbacks, much like Daveigh Chase in THE RING.
“Srimantra uses plenty of slick focus effects to give us Mun’s POV during her various stages of sight. Effects are beautifully done, with the dead chillingly rendered and introduced in heart-stopping fashion via the Pangs’s editing. The ‘angels of death,’ however, come across like Kabuki mime hipsters, but the morphing bedroom has the feel of a dark cloud passing overhead. The film’s climax is a textbook build of suspense. Original music by Orange Music is a mix of standard genre pulse quickening pounding mixed with cheesy synth.” 3 1/2 cats