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The Eye

  • 2008
  • PG-13
  • 1h 38m
IMDb RATING
5.4/10
58K
YOUR RATING
Jessica Alba in The Eye (2008)
The Eye Trailer
Play trailer2:08
8 Videos
63 Photos
HorrorMystery

Violinist Sydney Wells was accidentally blinded by her sister Helen when she was five years old. She submits to a cornea transplantation, and while recovering from the operation, she realize... Read allViolinist Sydney Wells was accidentally blinded by her sister Helen when she was five years old. She submits to a cornea transplantation, and while recovering from the operation, she realizes that she is seeing dead people.Violinist Sydney Wells was accidentally blinded by her sister Helen when she was five years old. She submits to a cornea transplantation, and while recovering from the operation, she realizes that she is seeing dead people.

  • Directors
    • David Moreau
    • Xavier Palud
  • Writers
    • Sebastian Gutierrez
    • Yuet-Jan Hui
    • Oxide Chun Pang
  • Stars
    • Jessica Alba
    • Alessandro Nivola
    • Parker Posey
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.4/10
    58K
    YOUR RATING
    • Directors
      • David Moreau
      • Xavier Palud
    • Writers
      • Sebastian Gutierrez
      • Yuet-Jan Hui
      • Oxide Chun Pang
    • Stars
      • Jessica Alba
      • Alessandro Nivola
      • Parker Posey
    • 186User reviews
    • 171Critic reviews
    • 36Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 4 nominations total

    Videos8

    The Eye
    Trailer 2:08
    The Eye
    The Eye: Shadow Men
    Clip 0:55
    The Eye: Shadow Men
    The Eye: Shadow Men
    Clip 0:55
    The Eye: Shadow Men
    The Eye: Fire In The Apartment
    Clip 0:52
    The Eye: Fire In The Apartment
    The Eye: Fingers
    Clip 0:55
    The Eye: Fingers
    The Eye: Showering
    Clip 0:50
    The Eye: Showering
    The Eye: Car Accident
    Clip 0:41
    The Eye: Car Accident

    Photos63

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    Top cast59

    Edit
    Jessica Alba
    Jessica Alba
    • Sydney Wells
    Alessandro Nivola
    Alessandro Nivola
    • Dr. Paul Faulkner
    Parker Posey
    Parker Posey
    • Helen Wells
    Rade Serbedzija
    Rade Serbedzija
    • Simon McCullough
    Fernanda Romero
    Fernanda Romero
    • Ana Christina Martinez
    Rachel Ticotin
    Rachel Ticotin
    • Rosa Martinez
    Obba Babatundé
    Obba Babatundé
    • Dr. Haskins
    Danny Mora
    Danny Mora
    • Miguel
    Chloë Grace Moretz
    Chloë Grace Moretz
    • Alicia
    Brett A. Haworth
    • Shadowman
    Kevin Phan
    Kevin Phan
    • Tomi Cheung
    • (as Kevin K.)
    Tamlyn Tomita
    Tamlyn Tomita
    • Mrs. Cheung
    Esodie Geiger
    Esodie Geiger
    • Nurse
    Karen Elizabeth Austin
    Karen Elizabeth Austin
    • Mrs. Hillman
    • (as Karen Austin)
    Ryan J. Pezdirc
    Ryan J. Pezdirc
    • Nurse Room Attendant
    James Salas
    • Jim
    Brett O'Mara
    • Brett
    • (as Brett Omara)
    Landall Goolsby
    Landall Goolsby
    • Alex
    • Directors
      • David Moreau
      • Xavier Palud
    • Writers
      • Sebastian Gutierrez
      • Yuet-Jan Hui
      • Oxide Chun Pang
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews186

    5.458.2K
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    Featured reviews

    7Simon_Says_Movies

    A Monkey Theorum Movie

    The infinite monkey theorem states that a monkey hitting keys at random on a typewriter for an infinite amount of time will eventually produce the works of Shakespeare. Coincidently, this same theory applies to the onslaught of Asian horror remakes that is stomping Hollywood into submission. If enough of these films are remade, then eventually one will be acceptable, and alas it has happened.

    The Eye, starring Jessica Alba is directed by two relative first timers by the names of David Moreau and Xavier Palud, and they can certainly create a film that boasts certain elements of stylish direction. Unfortunately, along with the good, it seems that all of this style of remake fear deviation from a backbone template. Not to give anything away to those who are not familiar with Asian horror remakes, but one element that is consistent is that the basis of all the evil happenings is from a spirit looking for salvation of some sort. While The Eye, does choose to spin this cliché slightly, it is afraid to go all the way.

    Suffering from total blindness after a childhood accident, young beauty Sydney Wells (Alba) is given a chance at an eye transplant that will allow her to see for the first time in decades. Not surprisingly, she begins to see things that ought not to be. Aided by an appointed shrink, played by Alessandro Nivola, they confront the visions and try to track the donor eyes back to their sinister source. This journey is bounds more intelligent then the average horror story, and the standard for dumb decisions is cleverly hidden by the fact that Sydney is fully or partially blind for most of the film. This presents a cushion of forgives per se, as her lack of sight can lead her into frightening situations, without appearing ignorant.

    And there are certainly some frightening "boo" moments; uniquely accentuated by a well used pallet of sound. There are also exactly three expertly executed scenes, worthy of recognition. The first is a scene in which a blurry eyed Sydney looks into the mirror for the first time with creepy consequences; the second features a member of the un-dead accompanying her in an elevator and the third takes the form of an intervention between a mother who has recently lost her son. If The Eye had presented more scenes of this Claiborne, it certainly could have been something special. Instead, the ending descends into the mediocrity, which at first seemed more then acceptable, but took off into a sixth sense meets final destination action spin off; which although still thrilling, did not fit the tone and atmosphere of the former acts. The "blurry vision" that is used early on with some skill, is overused by the end, the flashbacks replace the more effective quick cutbacks and it simply does not hold onto its success.

    This is however Alba's best performance, and although not saying much, this shows there is hope for her future acting career. While more films like The Eye would be welcome, I think it better to forfeit the Asian remakes all together, then to wait for the monkey's second draft.

    Read all my reviews at: http://www.simonsaysmovies.blogspot.com
    7dfranzen70

    Blurry around the edges, but still a fine sight

    The Eye (2008) I knew going into the theater that this would be a bit scary. OK, maybe traumatizing. I had a LASIK procedure done a couple of years ago, and although I wasn't blind beforehand, I did have pretty bad eyesight. I know a bit about the trepidation - perhaps even outright terror - one feels before undergoing an operation on one's eyeballs. I still get a little skeeved when I see a closeup of eyes, come to think of it.

    Jessica Alba plays Sydney, a blind concert violinist who has a double corneal transplant, and of course things go wrong. Not with the surgery itself, but with the psychological aftermath - she sees dead people. And dead things. And undead. And so on; it looks like she's tapped into a spiritual world, or something. No one else can see what she's seeing, which is par for the course in movieland, but all of the demons and smoke and fire and other sfx seem extremely, utterly, real to Sydney.

    Alba is excellent, showing that she has more than just two (or three) talents to show the world. Her Sydney is appealing in her vulnerability; Alba, a beautiful young woman, manages to make you feel as if her character could, indeed, live in your world: less glitzy starlet, more three-dimensional person. Of course, she's still a knockout, and she IS a supremely talented musician, and she DOES live in a super-posh apartment in a high rise, but still. Alba shows wonderful range, from tender to fragile, without giving up any sincerity. The movie hinges on her ability to sell the audience on her character's Everywoman (to a point) status, and I think she delivers.

    Some of you may be thinking you've already seen this movie before, when it was called Blink. In Blink, Madeline Stowe played a young woman who lost her sight as a child (as did Sydney) and then grew up to be a talented violinist; after a new eye operation temporarily restores some sight, she sees things. Just like Sydney. Huh. Still, this isn't a redo of Blink, it's a remake of a Chinese film called Gin gwai. Asian films have made the rounds of Hollywood in recent years (The Ring, The Grudge, Dark Water), and although the remakes usually don't have the subversive bite of their original counterparts, some of them hold up rather well when inundated with high-tech CGI. The Eye does use special effects, but it uses them - pardon me - to great effect; you're not overwhelmed with attention-grabbing CGI.

    The biggest debit in the movie is the love interest, Sydney's doctor, Paul (Alessandro Nivola), who seems dull and unimportant, although his believing in and trusting Sydney is a linchpin for moving the plot. He just seems vacant and stiff, hardly a commendation of Nivola's acting abilities. (Think of a younger Dylan McDermott.) On the other hand, a good counterbalance to Nivola is Parker Posey as Sydney's concerned sister, who, although she doesn't immediately buy into Sydney's rantings, does empathize and attempt to understand a bit better than the hunky doctor.

    Overall, The Eye is a tense, shudder-filled movie that manages to dress up a recycled plot with dead-on performances and evocative cinematography.
    4BA_Harrison

    Another blinking remake!

    With virtually every successful Asian horror movie of the last few years having already been remade by Hollywood, it was only a matter of time before Gin gwai (AKA The Eye) got the treatment, despite the original not really being all that great (I found it fairly entertaining, but unexceptional—my rating: 6/10).

    Jessica Alba plays Sydney Wells, a blind violinist who receives a cornea transplant only to discover that her new set of peepers allow her to see much more than she had originally bargained for: Sydney can see dead people!! Aided by her doctor, she attempts to unravel the terrible secret behind her scary supernatural power.

    Directed by David Moreau and Xavier Palud, The Eye is a totally unnecessary and dreary remake that copies parts of original verbatim, alters scenes that should have been left well alone (the creepy cafe meat-licking scene has gone, and the downbeat ending has been swapped for a typical Hollywood crowd pleaser), and totally botches what should be the scariest bit of the whole film (the lift scene is VERY disappointing).

    Take my advice: If you've already seen Gin gwai, then stay away from The Eye.
    7robertallenandersonjr

    Not as bad as people make it sound

    The Eye was not a great movie but it's not horrible either. It was about an average movie. I was not expecting a lot going into seeing this movie. If you are expecting a lot going into this movie it will not be good but if your just looking to see a movie and thinking its going to be good you might actually like it. Pretty much the whole entire beginning and almost all of the middle was boring and just had very sudden scenes that would get you to jump out of your seat. The rest of the movie was when it started to kick up and get good. Jessica Alba finally started to find out what she had to do and what was going on with her and people around her. Thats when the action started and it had you on the edge of your seat. For the most part it was pretty slow moving and boring but then it kicked up it was good. If the first hour of the movie was like the end it would have of been an excellent movie. So if your looking for a pretty scary movie with lots of things that pop out at you go see this. The story was actually pretty good as well. The fact that it made you wait to find out why she became blind was well done. The acting job Jessica Alba did was good as well. The visual effects for this movie were also awesome.
    3applesauce91-2

    It Could Have Been So Much More...

    I really wanted this movie to be good. Really. I think Jessica Alba is an extremely talented actress, and I had high hopes for this movie. J horror remake, interesting premise, Jessica Alba...sounds good so far.

    But this movie left me disappointed in when I saw it last night. The movie relies on cheap thrills that aren't frightening to the mature moviegoer. I should have expected this, as it was rated PG-13, but the theatre full of screaming 11 year olds at every jump was quite irritating.

    When it was all over, The Eye left me wanting more. The only thinking and mystery in the movie is done for you and the "science-talk" from Alba seems unrealistic. It relies on loud noises and horror movie clichés at every turn. The Eye is a definite popcorn movie. It may be entertaining for younger viewers, but if you want a deeper and more engaging story, look elsewhere.

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    Related interests

    Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby (1968)
    Horror
    Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in Chinatown (1974)
    Mystery

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      To prepare for her role, Jessica Alba took violin lessons for six months, which she started while filming Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007). She also learned basic Braille.
    • Goofs
      When Dr Faulkner and Sydney put Mrs Martinez in the car to take her to the hospital it is in the driveway very close to the house but they didn't park in the driveway they parked on the road and walked up the driveway to the house.
    • Quotes

      [first lines]

      Teen on Skateboard: Oh, shit. Thanks. I didn't see that.

      Sydney Wells: Neither did I.

      Sydney Wells: [voice-over while Sydney walks in the street and settles in a café] People say seeing is believing, but for me, that's not entirely true. I lost my sight when I was five years old. Those memories of what I have seen have faded so much that I doubt I'd even recognize myself anymore. Now I see using my other senses. I can smell the rain before it drops, but I can't watch it fall. I can feel the sun on my face, but I can't see it rise or set. I want to see the world like everyone else, to see the sun, the rain, the music. Oh I bet music looks beautiful.

    • Connections
      Featured in Late Show with David Letterman: Jessica Alba/Julie Chen/The Whigs (2008)
    • Soundtracks
      Sonata for Violin & Piano No. 5 in F Major (Spring), Op. 24
      Written by Ludwig van Beethoven

      Arranged by Ceiri Torjussen

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    FAQ29

    • How long is The Eye?Powered by Alexa
    • What is 'The Eye' about?
    • Is this film based on a book?
    • How did Sydney become blinded at five?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 1, 2008 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Canada
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
      • El ojo del mal
    • Filming locations
      • Albuquerque National Dragway - 5700 Bobby Foster Rd, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
    • Production companies
      • Lionsgate
      • Paramount Vantage
      • Cruise/Wagner Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $12,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $31,418,697
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $12,425,776
      • Feb 3, 2008
    • Gross worldwide
      • $58,010,320
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 38m(98 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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