Another Asian horror masterpiece, The Eye is a chilling, stylish, and effective movie. So successful was this movie
in Asian cinema that an English remake is supposedly being made. No doubt the original has just as big a cult following
as Ringu and Juon. While not Japanese(the track is in Mandarin and part of the movie takes place in Thailand),
The Eye shares the Japanese horror movies' tendency towards atmosphere, creepy imageries, and solid character development.
In fact, The Eye is especially character driven, thanks to the solid acting by the movie's main character.
The movie tells the story of a young woman who's been blind since she was two-years-old. Suddenly she gets a cornea
transplant and can see again. But as her eyes slowly adjust to the world and become less blurry, she starts seeing visions
of deformed ghosts and the future of those about to die. The movie utilizes incredible camera trickery and dazzling
special effects to put the audience behind her eyes and see the world as she sees it, first as blurry with fleeting but terrifying
images, then as crystal clear nightmares. The combination of special effects and taut scripting produces an effective
sense of paranoia in the audience. Is it real or is she imagining it? The elevator scene should probably go down
as one of the most terrifying moments ever in horror history.
Towards the end, the movie threatens to devolve into stock convention and an "I've figured it out" Scooby-Doo-ish approach.
But this threat is short lived as the movie revs up for a slam bang finish that's as gruesomely violent as it is emotionally
satisfying. All-in-all, The Eye is a solid and terrifying work of art. Cantonese and Mandarin with
English subtitles Grade: A-
