Cinema review
Directed by David Moreau, Xavier Palud
Starring Jessica Alba, Alessandro Nivola, Parker Posey
Release date 24 April 2008

After an operation to restore her eyesight, talented violinist Sydney Wells (Alba) finds herself plagued by disturbing visions of dead people…

Hollywood continues its unwavering quest to remake every single Asian horror movie with this new spin on The Pang Brothers’ effective ghost story.

Aside from transplanting the action from Hong Kong to LA (with the original’s Thailand-set finale now shifted to Mexico) and the addition of a corny book-ending voiceover, this remains fairly faithful to the original. In fact the problem is it’s too faithful – it carries over the original’s rather wobbly final act, while fans of that movie are unlikely to be caught out by the ear-splitting shocks here.

But then that’s missing the point. This is a horror movie for people who absolutely refuse to read subtitles, and as such it’s not a bad effort. David Moreau and Xavier Palud – the talented French duo behind 2006’s exemplary nerve-shredder Them – make sure that it’s a stylish-looking movie, and if you haven’t seen the original then the well-mounted suspense sequences are likely to guarantee a few shivers.

Unfortunately Jessica Alba seems a little awkward as the film’s heroine. While the actress is fine in cheery Hollywood fodder like Into the Blue or Fantastic Four, she’s yet to prove she can pull off anything emotionally deeper, and The Eye isn’t the movie to do it. It’s difficult to accept that this is a strong-willed character wracked by fear and paranoia – in fact, it’s difficult to accept that this character feels anything at all.

The Eye 2008 makes for passable enough entertainment and it’s better than a good many other Asian horror remakes, but you can’t help but feel it’s a bit of an empty exercise. Matt McAllister

VERDICT: 5/10
Stylish, slick and soulless remake.

Click here to read an interview with David Moreau and Xavier Palud.