Seen on: February 1, 2008

The players: Directors: David Moreau, Xavier Palud, Writer: Sebastian Gutierrez, Cast: Jessica Alba, Alessandro Nivola, Parker Posey, Chloe Grace Moretz, Tamlyn Tomita

Facts of interest: Remake of "Gin Gwai" by Oxide and Danny Pang.

The plot: A blind violinist (Alba) starts seeing ghosts and having threatening visions after she undergoes a double corneal transplant.

Our quick thoughts: In “The Eye,” Jessica Alba stars as a blind violinist who undergoes a double corneal transplant and starts seeing dead people shortly after. I know this sounds incredibly original, but it has been done before. As you may have guessed, “The Eye” is a remake of Oxide and Danny Pang’s Asian horror classic “Gin Gwai,” a film that is undoubtedly better and scarier than the updated Hollywood version. While this remake is certainly more captivating than recent recycled flicks such as “One Missed Call” and “The Grudge 2,” it still fails to rise above mediocrity.

The plot generally operates at a steady pace, but the development of the rather banal story line couldn’t be more monotonous. Directed by newcomers Xavier Palud and David Moreau, “The Eye” lacks variety and suspense, relying too heavily on a horde of cheap scares and overall decent special effects. Ghosts sneak up from behind and vanish again, but are never really threatening. Alba’s character Sydney experiences these mysterious visions and dreams, but they are never really frightening. In short, the film is considerably boring, and we get to see the same thing over and over again.    

Instead of speeding up toward the end, the film completely breaks apart during the final 20 minutes, desperately struggling to keep the audience engaged with a foreseeable twist and a humdrum showdown. A good soundtrack, solid visuals and a satisfactory performance by Jessica Alba make up for only a few of the film’s countless flaws. That however, is not nearly enough to save this flick from drowning in disaster.

Freaky quote: "I'm seeing things I shoudln't see" - Jessica Abla

The final word: Just the other day I watched an “X-Files” episode in which a blind girl can somehow see into the mind of a serial killer, and I can guarantee you that those 45 minutes had me a lot more intrigued and captivated than this 97-minute lackluster thriller. If you have thing for Jessica Alba you’ll see for yourself, but don’t tell me I didn’t warn you. I suggest you keep your eyes open for something else.