Mention of Shyamalan's classic is apt in that its central premise ("I see dead people") is prominent in The Eye (aka: Jian gui), where a cornea transplant brings an unenviable talent to heroine Mun (Angelica Lee). Once the central premise of the film is established, there's little to look forward to but the increasingly scary intrusions of the shadows into Mun's life, as well as an urgent investigation into the source of the offending eye parts. Fortunately the Pangs' sense of atmosphere and deft direction ensures most of their film is never less than riveting, and frequently - thank god - terrifying. The idea of an evil grafting is as hoary as the Hands Of Orlac (1924) so the success of this film (it broke records at the home box office) is a cause for celebration, as it transcends the clichés of the central plot device with some style and ease.

Much of the recent wave of Eastern Horror feature the revenge of women unjustly treated, either through their systematic objectification Audition (aka: Odishon, 1999) or death, Ring (aka: Ringu, 1998). The Eye follows in this tradition, and it's ironic that the film is at its weakest when the central characters visit Thailand, discovering the donor of the offending cornea. Whereas her body has traumatised Mun, Ling the psychic was victimised by society, and it's the exposition of her personal history, which, while understandable, dissipates some supernatural tension. Having said that, this change of focus is not disastrous, and the Pangs pep up the pace considerably with a black and white flashback sequence, beautifully judged and edited, as well as some claustrophobic interior sequences. There's more up the sibling directors' sleeves as well, for the audience is rewarded with a suitably apocalyptic climax, as well as a poetically satisfying final scene for Mun and Lo.

Much of the film is crafted so deliberately and effectively that it puts more prestigious, yet slapdash Hollywood product to shame. Whereas American cinema might culminate a tension filled sequence with gore, The Eye is frequently more subtle, suggesting horror by juxtaposing light and dark, as well as using the dramatic possibilities of depth of field. When Mun peers through her new eyes for the first time, trying to make sense of the world around her - an acute learning process described by her concerned psychotherapist Dr Lo (Edmund Chen), a distinction is made between what she has known and that which she now sees. We see the new things from her point of view: a world of slow recognition both beautiful, as she finally admits, as well as terrifying. There's a natural empathy between cinema and vision at work. Mun's new environment is initially as much out of focus as it is in - ideal for suggesting the unearthly. Visitations emerge from a murky field of vision, shadowy wraiths after whom the viewer alternately strains after, and then recoils back from, just as much as she does. This complicity of vision ensures a strong identification with the heroine confronting a world she perhaps 'was never meant to see'. The most unnerving scenes are thus in this first half of the film, enhanced by an effective soundtrack, frightening staging, as well as Lee's own convincing performance. The road accident, the calligraphy lesson, the spooks in the restaurant, and Ying Ying's farewell - these are all notable exercises in building unease. Particularly noteworthy is the lift sequence, where by use of editing, performance and dread, the Pangs arguably create the most memorable scene in the genre since the well gave up its denizen in Ring. It is here that their film works best on its strengths: a sense of eerie foreboding followed by ghastly manifestation; the manipulation of mood by music and editing; the antipathy of ghosts, and the torment of one who sees 'this world'. It is a tour de force.

Hollywood has successfully remade Ring, and such as successful item as the Pangs' film is inevitably following. Tom Cruise has his own version in pre-production. Whatever the final merits of a project that will inevitably be more star driven and glossier, for the time being horror addicts can be recommended the original, which, like Ring, has a unique sensibility that is hard to beat. As a frightener The Eye rarely blinks, and is best watched with the lights on...

Mun has been blind since she was two years old. After living eighteen years without sight, she is about to see the light... the light, and some other things. Her cornea transplant is successful but she must train herself to recognize these new perceptions of shapes, depth, and light. While recovering in the hospital, she sees shadowy figures walking alongside the patients and hears and sees people that seem to disappear. But, to Mun, who is adjusting her new blurred world, she is unsure what to make of these completely unfamiliar images.

After Mun goes home, she begins to see stranger and stranger things- a forlorn boy in the apartment complex hallway constantly asking if she has seen his report card, nightmares of some unfamiliar place, her room darkly shifts into a different, phantom room, and she is continually confronted by lingering, malformed visions of figures no one else can see. As she begins to reject her cursed vision and recede back into her blind world, her psychotherapist suspects that it may not all be in her head and aides her in tracking down her donor.

I have trifocals. From what my optometrist tells me, it is rather rare for people my age to have trifocals (its usually a middle age thing). Trifocals are needed to correct a stigmatism that comes from a shift in focus, going from focusing on the smaller details to the wider. In my case, from time spent reading, writing, and being hunched over studying the minutia while making photos. Like many people, remove my glasses and I'm as good as blind. Except for those two inches in front of my face, the world becomes a muddy blur. So, I know the horror of not being able to see and, during those first few frames of Mun's indiscict vision of human shapes hovering in the hospital hallway, I was already pleased with The Eye.

The Eye succeeds in simple quick scares heightened by some disturbing visuals that remain unsettling without turning to gore. The Pang Bros. definitely have that old school Robert Wise The Haunting sense of nightmarish eye cnady combined with perfect auditory fx to make you jump in your seat a little. Be it a spirit in Mun's calligraphy class or an old man hovering behind her in an elevator slowly drawing nearer and turning around, they made the hairs on the back of this jaded horror film viewers neck stand up.

The sad part about The Eye is, that while a good little horror film with some great visuals and a few unforgettable scares, it is only good, never great or the all it could really be. One wishes they spent as much time fleshing out the plot as they did the handful of fright sequences. Even such things as Mun's unease with the world of sight could have better payoff. For instance, scares and tension could have been heightened by the fact that those unfamiliar with sight have trouble with perceptions we take for granted. So, like when Mun is running from the ghosts, for Mun, navigating something like a stairway or a sidewalk next to traffic could have been just as disconcerting and threatening as the phantasms. But, aside from the ghosts, Mun adjusts to the world of sight rather well, though the film does win points when Mun realizes that what she sees in the mirror... well, I wont spoil it.

Yeah, while the creepy visuals and Angelica Lee Sin-ji's portrayal as Mun are enthralling, most of The Eye falls into horror movie cliché and tired predictability. It doesn't take too much of a stretch to see where every single plotline is going, from the tacked on romantic interest of her hunky young psychotherapist, the terminally ill girl that befriends her in the hospital, to the supernatural nature of her cornea donor. So, while it lacks an inventive plot and has some cheesball moments, like Mun being kicked out of her job with a blind orchestra, it makes up for these flaws in effective frights and a good, blindsided heroine

REVIEW:
The eye is a hybrid movie descended from the mutation of several genes. The " ghost story " gene to begin with, even if it’s already hackneyed. But here the Pang brothers managed to renew the genre thanks to an original and mastered direction. There’s also the " occidental " gene (also called hollywood syndrome) , which recycles trend concepts (the main character can see dead people) or the spectacular ending, typical from american blockbusters.

The movie suffers from a split in his half. The first part takes place in Japan. This is the place where we follow Mun. After her cornea transplant, she’s soon victim of weird and fightening hallucinations. Nor the audience nor Mun can clearly understand what these visions are about. Directors have a marvellous sense of audience reaction. They play with the focus in order to give us creepy sensations. The movie will stay in your mind just because of this stressful atmosphere ! The soundtrack is also an important part of the fear process. Noises and music have been meticulously made to ensure some discomfort among the viewers. Of course, you can say this only after you’ve watched the movie because when you’re deep down in the story, you’re totally manipulated.

The second part has a different tone. It’s situated in Thaïland. The heroin and her buddy doctor go to Bangkok in order to investigate about the past of the cornea donor. There, the film takes a more classical turn. Everything is being explained and there’s nothing more to fear for the future. It’s a pity that the atmosphere changes so suddenly. Ghosts have almost disappear from the story at this point. Moreover, the relationship between Mun and the doctor is not very credible.

What to say about the end. It is surely unexpected but it also seems to be inopportune. At least it has great visuals which allows us to be more tolerant on the overall movie.

These small faults prevent the movie to become a reference in the fantastic genre. But if you like nice aesthetics and if you want to get scared, this movie should be for you.

The movie has won a lot of awards and nominations in Hong-Kong and Taïwan film festivals.

However, when Mun experiences a series of inexplicable and chililng encounters with mysterious strangers, she fears that her newly restored eyesight has brough a different kind of darkness into her life. This fear is magnified when it also comes to light that Mun is not seeing her own face when she lokos in the mirror, but that of a total stranger. As this mightmare consumes her, she sets out to discover through whose eyes she is seeing the world, and before long finds a truth more horrifying than anything she could ever have imagined...

Featuring some of the most genuinely terrifying moments ever seen on screen, as well as a finale more spectacular than anything to have come out of Hollywood, this stylish and haunting film from the critically acclaimed Pang Brothers ("Bangkok Dangerous") deserves its place at the forefront of modern horror cinema.

COMMENTS
I heard a lot of positive stuff on this Hong Kong horror film, so I decided to check it out and I'm glad I did, because I liked it so much that I added it to my list of favorite movies.

It starts off with a blind girl getting eye surgery to regain her eyesight. The operation is a success and things are normal until she begins seeing ghosts all around her. She tries to ignore them, but soon learns that she can't, so she goes in search for the origins of her eyes in hopes of explaining why these things are happening.

I really enjoyed this movie, because it had a good story and lots of scares. I even admit to getting freaked out in a couple scenes of the film. Pretty wicked stuff. The directing and acting was very good and there was some dramatic stuff thrown into the story to make you feel more for the characters. I thought that was a nice touch.

The ghosts are all unique in their own ways, and as usual, some are scarier than others. I thought it was also very cool how the woman was able to see "Death" and how each person had their own. The movie goes through a turn in the story-line about an hour into it, because the girl goes in search of the origins of her eyes. That was a good idea, because we can't just keep having her see ghosts for nothing.

I would have given the movie a higher-rating, but I thought an 8-rating was most fitting. Not since the Ring trilogy had I gotten freaked out in a film. There is talks on a remake for this and that wouldn't surprise me considering Hollywood already remade Ring and are working on a remake for Pulse (Kairo). I actually wouldn't mind a remake for this as long as they keep the feel to the movie the same.

OVERALL
Now one of my favorite movies. If you liked Ring then I recommend you check into this film. Good scares; freaky ghosts.

Angela Lee's performance as Mun, the woman tortured with these visions, is first-rate and really anchors the film. Her portrayal of a woman coming to terms with sight is striking and very touching. I think what I like best about it is her naiveté. Because of her blindness, she has no idea what things look like. Therefore, when she sees stuff that would scare the bejeezers out of normal people, she reacts with curiosity, assuming this is just one more thing to get used to as a seeing person. But when she is scared, her trembling hands and wide-eyed look are a little too eerie for comfort.

There's a greater feeling of tragedy and sorrow running throughout "The Eye" than "The Sixth Sense" (itself a fairly somber film). This becomes very clear as we learn more about Ling, the tortured young woman who stands at the center of everything. As the audience and Mun begin to understand Ling's cursed life, especially her troubled childhood, it grows very sobering without ever seeming manipulative or forced.

As with "Bangkok Dangerous" (the Pang's previous film), what really distinguishes "The Eye" is its style. The film's stunning cinematography, editing, and direction, combined with outstanding effects, ensure that the film always remains riveting.

The visual effects are great - especially during Mun's many frightening visions, such as when she wakes up to find her bedroom slowly morphing into someone else's - but what really got me the second time around was the movie's sound. Since Mun has been blind most of her life, she's lived in a world dominated by sound, and the directors work this angle to the hilt. Every subtle noise, be it a footstep, a door swooshing open, or air rushing through a vent, could very well mean something very ominous.

These all combine to create a film that manages to stand on its own merit, rather than get written off as a "Sixth Sense" knock-off (unless you want to get really nitpicky). The Pangs know how to create loads of atmosphere, and there are some genuinely creepy sequences (you won't look at elevators the same way, I guarantee). Once again, the duo prove themselves capable of taking what should be an unoriginal story and injecting it with fresh life and an unexpected twist or two. Enough so that successive viewings still yield something new and interesting.

Mun (Angelica Lee) is a young, attractive, blind woman (since she was two) who, at the film’s beginning, is given a chance at vision. In the hospital she meets a young girl named Ying-ying (Yut Lai So) who is afflicted with cancer. In the film only to win the pity vote, Ying-ying will quickly plunge to your mental list of “meaningless, annoying characters”. At first, Mun is terribly nearsighted. Gradually, though, her eyes strengthen and her vision begins to function mostly as it should. Late one night, while her vision is still unremarkable, She sees a dark figure standing by the bed of an elderly lady staying opposite from Mun. The old lady and Shadow stand and leave the room, almost as if they were gliding above the ground. Concerned and curious, Mun gets out of bed and follows them to an empty hallway. In the hallway, there is no sign of the old woman or the dark figure. Suddenly, Mun hears voices in the hall, and the scene grows in intensity to an incredibly frightening climax. The next morning, the elderly woman is carted out to be taken to the morgue. Mun is understandably surprised by this: someone healthy enough to go for a walk in the middle of the night isn’t the type of person to croak out of the blue. From here things only get stranger for Mun; she starts seeing strange, ominous people everywhere: the middle of a highway, a café, outside her own home. When she finally realizes that she’s seeing ghosts, he world begins to shatter around her. She seaks refuge in her visual rehabilitator (a young man who helps her “relearn” her visual vocabulary. They also have a romantic relationship), Dr. Wah (Lawrence Chou), but he is understandably skeptic of her claims. The film only gets creepier until its amazing and stunning revelation around the one hour mark (probably my favorite “twist” in a film, ever), and then the film moves on to an almost Ring-like investigation. The last 10 minutes use special effects beautifully and wrap up the film, and the story’s cycle, in a perfectly poetic way.

The Pang brothers (Oxide and Danny) achieved small international acclaim for their stunning action film/character study “Bangkok Dangerous”. Originally from Hong Kong, the duo moved to Thailand and Oxide made his directing debut with “Who is Running?”, followed up by the duo’s aforementioned action film. The Eye definly shows some maturing on their part, and the film has no lack of amazing visuals. Often in the first half of the film I felt as if they weren’t doing much and were being fairly lazy and bland with their framing, placement, and movement. But as the film progresses and gets more and more intense, their composition and use of light and colors likewise increases in variation and beauty. Another great use of simple cinematic effects are the early sequences before Mun’s operation, where their inventive use of focus and peculiar camera placement keeps the viewer simultaneously captured and disoriented. In the film’s final, epically intense scenes, they put in some of the most inventive and beautiful camera work that I’ve seen since Kubrick or Kurosawa. With a little more experience, the Pang brothers may even prove to have what it takes to rise to that level of filmmaker.

In stark contrast to the Pang brothers’ visionary direction, the acting here is for the most part disappointing. As Mun’s grandmother, Yin Ping Ko is atrociously bad. Words spew from her mouth with no seeming inspiration, and almost every movement that she makes seems to just “happen” with no thought from her. If this is intentional, it must be some kind of caricature on a Chinese stereotype that I don’t understand. Lawrence Chou is less offensive as Mun’s lover/visual therapist, but he likewise shows little to no emotion throughout the film. It often seems as if he just isn’t willing to but forth effort to change his expression or intonation. Even worse than both of these, though, is Yut Lai So as Ying-ying. Ying-ying is obviously a character put there to try and gain audience sympathy. From the moment you see her bald head, you know where her character is headed. And Yut Lai So makes her character so painfully chipper and mindless that after a few minutes, I pray her disease wins quickly. In stark contrast to these disappointing, lifeless portrayals, Anglica Lee (last seen in the beautiful Princess-D) gives a really amazing performance. From the haunting, blank stare she gives as a blind woman to explosions of extreme, thoroughly believable horror in those same eyes (or, according to the film, new eyes), Lee’s work is one of the best performances I’ve seen in a Hong Kong film. The middle aged woman she encounters in Thailand and that woman’s daughter are only present for a short period (the dead daughter present only in flashbacks), but both give very convincing performances. Overall, though, Lee and the relatively few other good performances are hidden and smothered in the face of the more terrible actors.

The Eye is a film that truly should have, and easily could have, been great. Sadly, it is marred by some unforgivably bad performances, an unfocused first half, and one of the worst musical soundtracks to ever haunt a film. At one point, they bastardize Craig Armstrong’s beautiful balcony theme from Romeo and Juliet. At first I thought it would simply be using that beautiful music, as it’s in a very touching film towards the film’s end and not completely out of place. But, seemingly in an attempt to avoid copyright lawsuits, they change notes here and there, and make it sound like filth! True blasphemy, if ever there was any. Still, The Eye is a worthwhile view for any fan of the Pang brothers, Angelika Lee, Asian horror, or just a really interesting and unique film. But whatever you do, fast forward through any scene with Ying-ying and all of the first half’s attempts at tenderness.

Mun (Angelica Lee from Princess D) has been blind since the age of 2. Now in her twenties she gets the oppurtunity to have a cornea transplant to regain her sight. The operation is successful but soon Mun experiences horrific visions. She sees dead men, women and children appearing hostile or very strange and as time goes by each vision gets more horrific and more intense. She turns to her psycho therapist, Wah (Lawrence Chou from Heroes In Love) for help and guidance. She soon realises the truth about what she's experiencing...

There's a reason why this movie is talked about right now. It's not that it has an original concept but more to do with the fact that The Pang Brothers have done one crucial thing; scare the living crap out of the audience. However this movie would not have been made if not a little sleeper hit called The Sixth Sense hadn't come along. Personally I don't mind movies borrowing concepts and ideas from others, as long you're trying to do something with it or make it your own. Remaking films however, I'm strongly against and I've heard that an american remake of The Eye is in the works, which is again a sign that american filmmakers can't come up with anything themselves. By all means, borrow from the east and make your own film but not someone elses.

I think our director's Oxide and Danny Pang have done a tremendous job here. Their way of shooting and directing is very stilized, something that can break a film, but in this movie their style works. The sometimes odd way of placing the camera works very well in the present parts of the film but is most effective in the more frantic flashback parts of the film and of course the horror scenes involving Mun. When the first visions appear the directors slowly let us walk with it and without warning the scene explodes in something that may not be terror at first glance but is scary becuase we do not actually know what it is. I've seen lots of Hollywood movies where they use the 5.1 sound to generate, what they think, is horror. The Eye has that trait except with the sound experience we also get the visuals that go along with it and it's genuinly frightening. I felt totally immersed into Mun's nightmarish world and the best scene all around by the Pang Brothers and with Mun is the elevator one. It's almost the most quiet of all scenes at first but it builds and builds to a point where you will be on the edge of your seat. In that confined space a moment of pure horror plays out and you're there yourself. Again the choice of angles, editing (which the Pang Brothers also are responsible for) and sound are in total symbiosis here The script is also penned by the brothers along with Jojo Hui and at all times the plot is easy to follow without the writers resorting to simplyfying what's going on. The mystery is partially revealed throughout and while some viewers may be able to predict the outcome, it was still suspense filled and fairly hard tofigure out. Have to say though that the final events set in Thailand feels a little rushed. It's not that we don't get what purpose it has in the story but there was a little weakness present in the wrapping up of things.

I mention cinematography in many reviews when it's needed and the work of DP Decha Srimantra certainly needs to be adressed. He was also the cinematographer on Bangkok Dangerous and even if I haven't seen his work in that film, I can safely say that his is a very good DP. The Eye has a few prominent looks to it, starting with the more subdued colourscheme around our main character Mun. It fits well since she sees the world for the first time and becuase of that it doesn't have to over-colurised. The look of course fits with the horror that plays out around her as well. The film shifts to location shooting in Thailand during the second half and, despite it being brigther, it is well integrated with the rest of the film. In some of the flasbacks there is use of black and white so overall Decha certainly faced many challenges. His past project with the Pang Brothers probably was good preparation going into this movie also.

There is quite a number of scenes with CGI, courtesy of award winning Centro Digital Pictures (HKFA:Best Visual Effects for Shaolin Soccer). I am not a big fan of CGI but I like it better when it's properly used in a way that enhances the story and it's scenes (Dark City is a good example). Centro keeps the effects simple and subtle but that really contributes to the scare factor present in The Eye. Their best achievement in the movie must be in the bedroom scene where Mun sees her room changing from one to another, like a ticking clock.Very effective. The final big scene of the movie has it's weaknesses when it comes to the effects though. Since it's so big, the CGI doesn't feel very real but on the other hand, it's a very powerful scene and we're too involved with the story to really think about the visual effects.

Acting wise we get a very good performance from leading lady Angelica Lee. She plays Mun that has to go through a very turbulent time in her life and she really embodies this part. Angelica is a very nice looking woman but the fact that she doesn't look very glamorous but instead more like an ordinary woman, enhances this character. That way her vulnerability and sensitive side is more believeable. It's a role that isn't groundbreaking and it has been seen before but Angelica still makes this character her own.

Lawrence Chou is good but he feels and probably is a little young to play the character of Dr. Wah. He has that kind of teen idol look but does improve as the movie starts it's second half. The character becomes slightly more interesting and Lawrence does the character justice in the end.

The Eye is an excellent piece of cinema but it will be looked down upon in some circles as a mere copy of The Sixth Sense or even Stir Of Echoes. The Pang Brothers knows this but they have made their own film, not someone elses and that is what counts.

It's fair to say that 'The Eye' does carry a lot of similarities with '6th Sense' although it delivers a quite unexpected and original twist around the half way mark that instantly makes it justifiable. The story follows the fortunes of Mun (Angelica Lee), blind since an early age, who undergoes a cornea transplant in an attempt to restore her sight. The operation is successful but comes with some unexpected side effects as Mun discovers that she can see dead people. After one scary encounter too many Mun, with the help of her doctor, traces the cornea donor's family and travels to Thailand to meet with them, hoping to put all troubled spirits to rest.

In its favour 'The Eye' manages to side step the trap that many other Hong Kong horrors blunder straight into and avoids descending into misplaced comedy that adds nothing but padding and ultimately makes a film 'not scary'. Its not that 'The Eye' is particularly scary, except for that twist, but it manages to create a chilling mood that just draws the viewer in. Some scenes are particularly reminiscent of '6th Sense', which I guess is rather unavoidable given the subject matter, but they are directed so skilfully and acted so well that you can easily forgive the filmmakers for borrowing an idea or two. The ending is completely original however and totally unexpected and probably better than that Hollywood blockbuster.

I thank Elroy for that. Now, if you haven't seen "The Sixth Sense", you might wanna skip the next two paragraphs and go on to the next one. If you did watch it, get ready to feel my pain.

Elroy is a friend of mine who I knew for about 10 years, but biographical sh*t about him is far from important right now. He's a good friend, but he's also a punk-ass Navajo mutherfu**er. Before you call me a racist, keep in mind that he calls me a "gook" or "chink" just because I'm Filipino. Hell, he calls my other non-Asian friend the same names just because he likes Anime (which Elroy refers to as "Gook-toons"). All this racial name-calling is all in the name of fun. However, when I said "punk-ass" I meant it.

Two years ago, when "The Sixth Sense" premiered on DVD, I cruised to a friend's house where I was invited to watch it with a few of my friends. I had heard everything good about it and was pretty pumped-up to watch it. Just as we popped it in the DVD player and pressed PLAY, tragedy struck. Elroy opened his big-fat mouth and said "Hey guys, did you know that Bruce Willis is dead throughout the whole film?". We all just kinda glanced at Elroy. I think there was a total of four of us present at the time: Walter, Tony, Elroy and Me. I don't remember exactly, but Walter and Elroy had already seen the movie in the theatre. Me and Tony didn't. For Tony it didn't matter, cuz he simply didn't care about mainstream movies, especially ones that have developed some kind of popularity (he's pretty much against anything "popular". Oddly, he likes to wear a "Transformers" Decepticon t-shirt so go figure). It did matter to me though. But I didn't notice how crucial this "matter" was until we were 20-minutes into the film where I realized that Elroy had ruined this film for me. Elroy, if you're reading this: FU** YOU. Fu** you very much.

This brings us to "The Eye" - written and directed by the Pang Bros. ("Bangkok Dangerous"), who are currently making a helluva name for themselves all over the world, including Hollywood. I'm not gonna get much into the plot, all you really need to know is what it says above (see PLOT). Unlike, "The Sixth Sense", I was able to enjoy this film to it's full potential, which lead me to believe that "The Eye" is truly one of the most entertaining films to come out of Hong Kong in the last 5 years (looking at the credits, it's probably considered a Thai/HK production). It's also a turning point for for the horror genre of Hong Kong, which usually consisted of goofy things like floating heads, cheesy looking vampires, and flying ghosts that could have easily hung out with "Casper". Nothing goofy here, "The Eye" is pure horror/noir and there's nothing colorful or wacky about it. This is some pretty intense stuff and no punches are pulled.

Newcomer Angelica Lee ("Princess-D"), is outstanding! Even though her approach to the character she plays is very laid-back, she brings out a natural fierceness that the audience easily identifies with. There's something that separates her from the vast amount of Asian actresses. Her settling beauty is comfortable to the eye (no pun intended) - therefore, she brings more realism to the film's dark tone. Why don't we just say that I couldn't picture someone like Kelly Chen or Shu Qi pulling it off like she did. Not to say that Angelica Lee isn't sexy or attractive, she's just more of the "girl next door". The only other talent that I recognized right off the back was the likeable Candy Lo ("Time and Tide"), who has an extended cameo. The only performance I was kinda skeptical about was Angelica's love interest - he seemed to do an 'OK' job in the acting department, but the fact that he came out kinda nerdy got annoying after awhile. It may have been intentional since we're dealin' with a blind girl..but that's really nit-picking on my part, cuz it doesn't effect the value of the movie at all.

Even though I mentioned that "The Sixth Sense" is the true contender in terms of comparison, "The Eye" also has an element that is very similar to Hideo Nakata's "Ring". But forget about those two films. "The Eye" may have been sparked off by them, but in my opinion, it's just as wholesome and may just be clever than both of those films.

Once again, fu** you very much Elroy.

Mun (Angelica Lee) has been blind since she was 2 years old. She's lived a contented life despite the disability, but then she is given the chance to have her sight restored through a cornea transplant. The surgery is successful and Mun sees for the first time, though blurry she can make out the outlines of people, however she needs more time before she can see properly. Spending some time in hospital she befriends an 11 year old girl who has the bed next to here, named Ying Ying she has been in the hospital for a long time with an aggressive tumour in her brain. The two of them play and take a picture together, while Mun's sight very gradually starts to improve. One night, Mun sits awake in bed in the middle of the night when she sees a dark figure approach the old lady in the bed opposite her. The figure rouses the old lady and leads her out of the hospital ward and into the corridor, Mun's vision is still not good enough for her to make out who the figure is however. Puzzled, Mun follows the pair into the corridor and her blurry vision picks out the old woman, who moves around her ethereally before disappearing altogether. The next day Mun wakes to find that the old lady in the bed opposite had died during the night.

Confused but not knowing what to make of it, she has only just regained her sight after all, Mun continues her recovery and leaves the hospital. She is assigned a psychotherapist to aid her in her transition, named Dr. Lo (Lawrence Chou), he is the nephew of the doctor who performed the cornea transplant. Back at home with her grandmother, Mun watches home video footage of her as a child, when she hears a knock at the door. It's a small boy, head bowed and face hidden by a baseball cap, asking if Mun had seen his report card from school. After trying to talk to him, only to have him vanish, Mun is left even more confused, not knowing that the boy had killed himself after not being able to face the disapproval of his parents after losing his report card. As Mun tries to adapt to the whole new dimension added to her life, she starts having nightmares of places she doesn't recognise, and starts to see people nobody else can, terrifying her. Dr. Lo is the only person who seems to believe her but has no idea how he can help, and as her visions get more intense and she is driven closer to the edge, Mun needs to find the truth before it becomes too much for her.

The Eye does not have the most original of concepts. The ‘transplant gone awry' thing has been done (look at Body Parts or the awful third story in the horror anthology Body Bags) where a transplant from one person to another has disastrous results, then mix in some The Sixth Sense/Stir of Echoes ‘I see dead people' and there you have it right? Thankfully, I don't think so. I have to admit that I have yet to see either Stir of Echoes or The Sixth Sense but The Eye certainly cuts a stylish path for itself between the slasher sequels from the west and the Ring copyists from the East. The Pang Brothers have created a distinctive and eerie psychological horror, from the opening sequence which spells the credits out in Braille while a hand pushes from the other side of a white screen in the background, to the numerous and extremely creepy encounters with the spirits Mun sees, this is clearly a superior chiller. The supporting cast are solid and back up the story well, but this is Angelica Lee's film and she does a great job in the role of Mun. Giving a sense of warmth to her character while also giving compelling performances during the creepy scenes when the occur, she makes you care for her character, and her strong screen presence makes it extremely difficult to take your eyes off her whenever she is on. One has to give great credit to Danny and Oxide Pang (and Jojo Hui for co-scripting with the pair) for giving Angelica a chance to perform beyond just being an under-developed scream queen, as they give as much time to Mun's emotional response not just to seeing ghosts but to seeing at all. You can't help but have an emotional response as she looks at herself in the mirror for the first time, hardly able to believe she is looking at herself. While you are happy for this very sweet woman for finally being able to see, you see it affect her life negatively too, the blind people's musical group she was once a part of playing the violin no longer want her because she is no longer blind.

It seemed every effort was made to give humanity to Mun and not let her just become a tool for the scare sequences, and the film has a lot more depth and a heart because of it. That's not to say that the film isn't balanced between the horror and the characterisation though, as there are a number of unsettling scenes that punctuate much of the film. These are superbly done, and vary in delivery from simple ‘look away and he's gone when you look back' shots to clever use of Mun's blurred vision, to some more elaborate CGI effects. Some jarring, some more restrained and menacing, Mun's ghostly encounters are filled with excellent use of sound, and greatly aided by Angelica Lee's believable reactions which start as mere confusion and develop into outright terror. One could say that there is a hint of the sort of haunting atmosphere witnessed in Ring and its ilk, but its certainly not derivative, and does actually produce more genuine scares than the Japanese classic.Unfortunately The Eye does not succeed in sustaining the mood for its whole duration, as the change of scenery towards the end of the film actually changes the feel of the movie quite noticeably, though by then the film has you so completely in its grasp it doesn't really matter. While elements of its conclusion may leave some a little dissatisfied, it certainly came a little unexpected to this reviewer and that can only be a good thing.

This film twists and turns, the respite the more character-based scenes provide serves only to make the next scare that much more unexpected and enjoyable, and any fan of a good chiller will find much in this film's 96 minutes to enjoy. Well written, compelling and stylishly shot with good performances and a very good lead actress, The Eye has become an instant Radi0active Death favourite and is possibly the best Far Eastern horror movie since Japan's Ring.

Her new "gift" is too much for Mun to handle and Mun lapses back to living in the world of the sightless. Her psychiatrist Dr. Wah starts investigating the source of her corneas and along with Mun they go to Thailand to find out the circumstances of the donor Ling's death. Upon arriving, Ling's doctor explains her troubled life and death whose parallels to Mun's own problems now are disturbing.

In the style of Hitchcock and DePalma, The Eye is a suspense thriller that will keep your attention throughout!

Peter West's Danger Seeking Summary:
The Eye is a film I have some mixed feelings about. While having some great moments of suspense, the overall pace of the film is slow. This does allow for some excellent character development. Where my feelings are mixed is in the idea of calling this a "horror" movie. I would like to describe it more as a suspenseful thriller. There are some elements which could be said are derived from The Sixth Sense however I would really disagree with that comparison. Outside of the fact Mon "see's dead people", there are no similarities.

Overall I would describe The Eye as a superior film and a prime example of the fine films being made in Asia today. That may be why some of Asia's top films such as The Eye are getting domestic releases in the theater and on DVD. While this does not have the true feeling of terror one may get from Ringu, The Eye is one Asian film you should not miss! My overall rating 4/5