The Eye Directed by David Moreau, Xavier Palud. 97 minutes. Opens Friday (February 1). No press screenings – see reviews on February 4 at www.nowtoronto.com. Rating: NN
THE EYE is yet another uninspired American remake of an Asian horror movie. It sticks close to the original’s storyline – young woman gets cornea transplants that have her seeing ghosts – but mostly leaves out the human tragedies that motivate the ghosts and generate much of the original’s creepiness and dramatic tension. In their place, directors David Moreau and Xavier Palud hit us with the same dumb scare again and again: something leaps straight at the camera with a loud noise. After a while, even 13-year-olds in the audience stopped reacting. Jessica Alba, our heroine, is sweet and fun enough in a couple of scenes with a mirror, but Alessandro Nivola, as the love interest who helps our heroine unlock her corneas’ secret, kills the movie dead every time he opens his mouth.
Another week, another American version of an Asian horror movie. This time it’s The Eye, based on Gin Gwai, the 2002 Hong Kong thriller about a blind woman who gets a cornea transplant and suddenly starts seeing lots of dead people.
The remake stars comely Jessica Alba as the ghost-seer, with Junebug’s hunky Alessandro Nivola as her doctor. Indie queen Parker Posey’s around, too, probably to add some comic relief.
