96 mins. Horror. Jessica Alba, Alessandro Nivola, Parker Posey. Directors: David Moreau, Xavier Palud.
FRENCH filmmakers David Moreau and Xavier Palud(Them) co-direct this English language remake of Oxide & DannyPang's 2002 horror-thriller about a woman plagued by nightmarishvisions of the dead.
The Eye hinges on a speculativephenomenon called cellular memory, which claims some transplantpatients exhibit characteristics of the donor.
In thecase of Moreau and Palud's film, the sightless heroine undergoes acornea transplant and suddenly glimpses a netherworld of pain andsuffering.
The new version pales next to the chillingoriginal, transplanting the ghostly goings-on from Hong Kong andThailand to Los Angeles and Mexico.
The centralnarrative remains largely intact though, centring on talented concertviolinist Sydney Wells (Alba), who has been blind since the age of fivebut this hasn't prevented her dazzling audiences with her skilledmusicianship.
Sydney's sister Helen (Posey) encouragesher to undergo cornea transplant surgery, so that she will be able toenjoy her life to the full with all five senses.
The operation goes smoothly but then Sydney begins to notice spectral figures that no one else can see.
"I'm seeing things I shouldn't see, I'm dreaming things I haven't seen," she sobs.
Fearingthat she might be losing her mind, she seeks help from psychiatrist DrPaul Faulker (Nivola), who is dismissive of Sydney's claims that shecan see the dear departed, but is also intrigued by her symptoms.
Whenthe visions become increasingly vivid, Sydney and Paul head to Mexicoto investigate a tragic fire and the subsequent suicide of a girldubbed a witch by the locals.
The interlopers realisethat the chilling hallucinations are an omen of impending doom and itis up to Sydney to use her new gift of foresight to make a difference.
TheEye opens with a young woman, Ana (Romero), hanging herself in a woodenhut and something wicked emerging from the shadows to claim her soul.
Thisis as unsettling as Moreau and Palud's pedestrian film ever gets,drawing out the evidence of a connection between Sydney and the donorfor as long as possible, culminating in the striking image of theheroine looking in the mirror and seeing Ana instead.
Ghostsclutter the hallways and elevator of Sydney's apartment block butregrettably there is no time to consider their potentially intriguingstories.
Alba affects an ever-changing array of startledand shocked expressions to reflect her heroine's fragile mental state,and she's even less convincing with a violin and bow.
Nivolaand Posey's two-dimensional supporting characters exist solely tofurther the plot and drive it towards its explosive resolution - a bigaction sequence that packs far less punch than the original,considering all of the build-up.
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