Tung ngan

I was excited to watch this movie for two reasons: 1 - it is a Pang Brother's movie. 2 - it is an Asian horror movie.

However, having seen it I set here with a sense of disappointment and that I was somehow cheated out of something.

For a Pang Brothers horror movie, "Child's Eye" is fairly disappointing and uneventful. It doesn't quite live up to previous movies such as "Ab-normal Beauty", "Re-Cycle", "The Eye (trilogy)", etc. It has that certain Pang Brothers feeling to it, but it doesn't quite deliver like some of their previous works did. I surely hope that their next project will be more wholeheartedly.

The story in "Child's Eye" revolves around an old, run-down hotel in Thailand, where a group of young people from Hong Kong get stranded and are drawn into the dark, sinister story that is tied to the place. Sounds great, yes, but the story turned out to be rather jumpy, confusing and didn't fully have a red line throughout the feature length. Which made the movie somewhat of a pain to sit through.

As for the sets and props, well here it is the usual Pang Brother's standard. Lots of really nice sets and decorations. They sure have a good touch for details, and manages to get everything working well together. Despite it being shot in relative dark surroundings, the use of lighting in the movie is really phenomenal. It adds a great sense of dread and mystique to the movie.

The cast in "Child's Eye" were good as well. I have watched a lot of Hong Kong movies, and I am fairly unfamiliar with these people. But still, they did a good job with their roles. Most noticeable was Rainie Yang, as she sort of had the lead role, so to speak.

Now, one thing puzzles me in the movie, why did everyone speak Cantonese? They were in Thailand. Still the doctor in the hospital was speaking Cantonese. That was just a bit too cheesy. And the scene where they went through the "portal" and came out somewhere else, where you see buildings crumble and such, that was just too much. It looked like something that should have been in an entirely other movie. That was so misplaced in "Child's Eye". Seemed like a chance to just show off some CGI skills.

"Child's Eye" was a disappointing experience for me. It was a step backwards for the Pang Brothers in my opinion. The story was not well put together and it was too messy. But hey, you can't expect all Asian horror movies to be great, and even great film makers can deliver top quality with every single movie. It is good in a way that they moved away from their usual niche of movies, artistically speaking, but a bold move in a way as well, because the audience might not like the turn of events.

This is not a movie that I will be returning to for a second viewing. But hey, if you like Pang Brothers, you should check out "Child's Eye", you might just like it.

While the coherence on this one might be a tad bit broken, there were some scenes that seemed out of this world! And yes, in a good way!

As most such films, of course it will seem twisted, sick, hard to read, difficult to interpret and so on! But what good Asian horror puts itself on the plate for you? Either go with the program, or find yourself another hobby! People like those involved in the making of "The child's eyes" should be encouraged, helped with finances and let them show us more, see what they are truly capable of. I had fun, I admit it, it kept me very interested the entire movie, didn't seem as long as other Asian horrors I've seen lately, and again, I have to put an accent on the fact that tension is a huge factor here. When such moments will make their appearance you'll just stand there, frozen, waiting to see what will happen.

Not many films have that effect on you, so a good scare is where you find it! Doesn't have to be a Boo, a loud fast sound, or a scary monster coming out of nowhere, it can indeed be something slow, annoyingly slow actually, and you'll feel your eyelids opening more and more, waiting..for what is there to happen. As I said, I had fun!

Cheers!

Given My penchant for Asian horror films, I watched this film with high expectations. I was left disappointed, perplexed and a little angry. There are many shortcomings in the quality and production of this movie that were perpetually disagreeable.

Supposedly this film was released in 3D and I can see how that would be effective in entertaining audiences given a handful of scenes that seem to jump out at you. Yet, there's no point behind it if the plot fails and the acting isn't up to par. The overall quality of the scenes, story and acting made Me think that this for a low-budget made-for-TV mini-series in Asia.

Like many Asian Show-It-To-Americans movies, it has been completely dubbed in English, and it is some of the most horrendous dubbing vocals imaginable! For an example, imagine a scene where a speeding truck is careening towards your unsuspecting friend in the street...so you belt out "QUICK! LOOK BEHIND YOU!". Later it's dubbed and then sounds like you lazily asking for a chai latte at the cafe instead. I wonder if the dubbing vocalists even looking at the movie. The voices don't even match the appearances of the actors they dub, and there's not the slightest hint of an accent for these young Chinese vacationers either...really? Yes, really. They sound like they're from L.A.

The setting is creepy enough. It's frequently mentioned that the hotel is very big yet there's no indication of such from the outside nor inside of the hotel set, in fact it seems small and uncomfortably cramped.

Pretty much every sign posted and every person speaking in Thailand (in which the movie is set and filmed) is in English. I'm no jet-setting international traveler but this seems really fictitious to Me.

The acting is largely sub-par, even if I'd seen it in it's original language it's clear that the acting isn't believable. I blame poor dubbing first of course, followed closely by inexperienced amateur actors, and inappropriate directing equally.

An initially promising storyline quickly stumbles into the type of absurdity that leaves the viewer confused and dismissive. There's no character development, nor a clear picture of who these people are and why we should be interested in them. There's an interesting plot of riots, civil unrest, and demonstrations where they are vacationing which leads them to take shelter at the hotel (and which they stupidly wander outside to witness firsthand) but that's as far as this idea plays into the film.

There's a rude yet mysterious staff at this creepy hotel, a group of strange children roaming about the hotel who are referred to as orphans, and hints that a ghost is stalking their party. All that is good and understood. Then the audience is sent for an insensible loop for the rest of the film, becoming more detached to the story as the events become more unintelligible.

I enjoy being sent for a loop in a film, but I like to come out of it feeling like I know what I just witnessed and understand it. That's not to be found here, so frustrating.

The film does manage a few successful creep-out moments, and initially a promising storyline. Yet it fails miserably a so many other points there's no point in discussing all the REST of them.

I'd suggest to skip this one (I rarely say that!). It's more bothersome than it's worth.

It had some creepy moments. But they just had to spoil it with maudlin, nauseating romance.

The plot was as pathetic and nonsensical, as the behavior of the characters. If everything was so simple, why wouldn't you just let certain character clean it up? Another character had to do it anyway.

And what a "nice" idea of a marriage... Shotgun wedding of two total opposites who always fight and make each other suffer... I bet dollars against nuts that they'll break anyway, sooner or later. And "later" would change only that there will be three persons suffering instead of two.

I just cannot believe that Pang Brothers committed this little monstrosity.

Three stars for some nice jump-scare scenes, and I fear it's still too high rate.

"If she's locked up there how could she show up in the restaurant." A group of friends on vacation in Thailand are ready for a relaxing time. When word gets out that rebels are attempting to over through the Prime Minister. On their way to the airport the get the news that it's closed. Being able to only find rooms in a motel that is utterly rundown they decide to wait it out. They soon realize that there is more to the hotel then thought. Having not seen a whole lot of Japanese horror movies (I have seen the re-makes) I wasn't 100% sure what to expect. While this movie did tend to drag a little, it was very creepy and did make me jump a few times. The quality of this is very good, not only is it creepy but there is also a story that keeps you intrigued the entire time. That is not something you can say about most American horror movies. Overall, a very interesting and creepy horror that will creep you out. I give it a B-.

Would I watch again? - I don't think so.

*Also try - Grudge & Rec 2