Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
Okay. My copy of this movie is en route now, and I’ll be seeing it for myself. I’m sorry I’m not going to get to see it in a theater packed with other horror fans. Those of you who have had that opportunity... I envy you. There’s nothing better than a great audience who really get into a horror film. That mounting sense of fear can be incredible when it works.
Anyway, here’s The Mulletproof Monk with his take on this cult phenom:
Hey Mori -
Just wanted to drop you a line about The Pang Brothers' new film, Jian gui (The Eye). I had noticed a few reviews for it popping up on your site, but none of them were really doing the film the justice it deserves. Being a horror aficionado, I felt as though it was my duty to give it to you like it is - so here's the REAL deal on The Eye.
The film is, in a word, brilliant. As many reviewers have already stated, the film surrounds a young woman named Mun (the lovely Lin Sin-je) who has been without eyesight since she was a very small child. Now, as she enters her twenties, a doctor has informed her that there may be a way for her have her vision restored. Eager to regain her sight, Mun has the corneas of a deceased woman grafted onto her own eyes in a bizarre experimental surgery. By the next day, the young woman can begin to make out blurry shapes in her hospital room, which she perceives to be the newfound world around her. That night, while in her room, she watches as a large black shape enters her room, leans over the bed next to her's, and helps the elderly bedridden woman there to her feet. The two exit the room together and it isn't until the next morning that Mun discovers that no one came to visit woman next to her in the night. The woman had died.
And from then on, the movie shifts into one of the creepiest, chill-inducing motion pictures ever made. Mun vision eventually returns in full, but her newfound eyesight is plagued by visions of otherworldly madness. Shadowy figures haunt every crawlspace of Hong Kong, able to pass through anything and appearing right around the time in which someone is about to die. Spirits of the forgotten are hiding in every corner of every room - always screaming furiously or trying to attack the living. We foolish mortals go about our daily lives, unaware that there may be the soul of an elderly maniac in the elevator with us or a lost wife waiting outside a resturant, licking at the food in hopes of remembering what it was like to be alive.
The images are frightening, disturbing, and all-around satisfying. Remember the moment in The Sixth Sense when the little boy asks Cole if he wants to see his father's gun, only to turn around and expose the gruesome exit wound left by a long-gone bullet? Remember how the audience gasped and suddenly felt stupendously uncomfortable? This film tops the chill factor of that moment - and many others - tenfold. Without using a drop of blood, Danny and Oxide Pang have created a truly shocking and unsetting masterpiece of horror for the new millennium.
The effects, as others have mentioned, are top-notch. Although the majority of ghosts seen in the film are simply actors with vacant stares, when it comes time for a ghoul to do something supernatural, they do it with flying colors. Serpentine tongues are unfurled, screaming children disappear in a cloud of ethereal smoke, ghoulish bodies float through the air, and - in a surprisingly unexpected moment - an enormous disaster explodes across the screen in the tradition of a Jerry Bruckheimer film.
From the opening credits, in which a hand presses itself through a white cloth, wiping its fingers along braille, which then turns into the titles, to the explosive, breathtaking action finale, The Eye is unlike anything I have ever seen before. People who haven't seen it are comparing it to the aforementioned Sixth Sense and, to a lesser extent, Michael Apted's 1994 film, Blink. They couldn't be more incorrect, as The Eye is simply... itself. Any true fan of horror should pick up a copy of this fine feature film TODAY, as it is simply not worth missing out on for another moment.
Cheers to Danny and Oxide for making something truly revolutionary and exciting - and best of luck with their future endeavors!
And now onto another thing about this film, folks. It is currently available to buy on DVD, with English subtitles, in America. Folks are acting like this film is difficult to get - or simply a film festival treat - but it can be purchased at the link below! BUY IT NOW! This movie is nothing short of amazing, even on the small screen.
Best regards to you and yours.
Call me Mulletproof Monk
Buy The Eye on region-free DVD HERE!!
See the official site HERE!!
This is a quick hit, but equally affirmative:
Moriarty,
To add to the buzz on this one, I think that this is one of the year's best, hands down. The comparisons with Sixth Sense will be inevitable but this really works as something quite special. The ending is a vision of apocalyptic scale. Catch it soon... before Hollywood spoils it all. The Pang brothers will no doubt be courted to America soon as they have proven that they can make an internationally viable product.
Cheers from Michael in London
And this guy’s a little more moderate in his praise, although he still definitely recommends it:
Hi Harry,
LTR, FTR (guess what these initials stand for?)
Anyway, before I start with my review, I would like to state a personal opinion. I admire Tom's willingness to tackle daring projects and find new talents (though CC's version of Vanilla Sky was definitely better than the original, and Amanabar's The Others was more coherent than his earlier works.) There are a lot of original concepts waiting to be produce, why waste time trying to Hollywoodize used products?
On to the review. As you probably already know, this is a Blink/At First Sight/Sixth Sense plot with a Body Parts twist and a Mothman Prophecies ending. If you still don't get it, how about this. A blind girl gets sight. (Spoilers) The blind girl sees ghosts/predicts future. Finally, the blind girl goes blind. (Spoilers End)
While the story may somewhat sound recycled, there are definitely some ups to recommend. First, although you can guess what's going to happen, there are still a couple of scenes that unnerve me : the elevator scene, and the calligraphy writing scene. Second, and more importantly, the camera angle and special effects. I really liked the style that the scenes played out, and that room switching scene is another classic. The Pang Brothers could really give that Wachowski Bros. a run for their money given the same budget.
And maybe this is where the problem begins. To start with, the FX ending is heavily anti-climatic and definitely not expensive looking(I am trying to be less critical here, really.) With a cooler budget, I am sure that Mr. Cruise can really improve on that (however, who would he hire to direct this, Fincher? -- It would definitely be more ideal than directing MI3, my p.o.v.) And then, the main actors. I really hoped that the leads could have acted better, because much of the tension and momentum depended heavily on the character's response, which is very bland. Just like the problems Hollywood has with pop singers, Asian singers and actors should be separated.
It's really too bad that Sixth Sense and the above-mentioned titles came out earlier, because it is bound to draw comparisons. But this is quite a major achievement from an industry that thrives in making horror comedy or action movies. As for the Pang Bros., expect more for them.
Finally, do I recommend The Eye? Of course I do. It is definitely more interesting than Abre Los Ojos. But is it really necessary to make another Vanilla Sky? I don't agree.
Call me Unidentified Human Being.
Great work, everybody. Thanks!
"Moriarty" out.
