|
Mun, a young woman in Hong Kong, who has been blind since
the age of two, undergoes a cornea transplant. After the operation
she is told by the doctor it will take some time for her eyes
and brain functions to work in tandem, but that her eyes will
gradually improve. One night in the hospital she wakes to
see a dark shape at the bed of the old woman next to her in
the ward. The shape leads the old woman away, and the next
morning a nurse announces that she passed away in the night.
Later, when she is being driven to her mother's apartment
to recouperate, she sees a man standing in the middle of the
road. At the apartment building itself a boy asks her for
his missing report card; a boy nobody else can see. Many other
frightening experiences lead Mun to the edge of insanity,
until her eye surgeon, Dr Lo helps her to discover the reason
for her sightings...
I
recently compiled a list of my top ten films of all time,
in an attempt to procure them all on DVD (for anybody who
might be remotely interested, I now possess seven of the ten).
Receiving this movie to review reminded just how much I love
it. The Eye made quite an unexpected impact on me when
it hit selected cinemas in the UK. Due to the fact it wasn't
on general release I was obliged to go out of my way to find
it, but it was well worth the inconvenience. In my humble
opinion The Eye is an unrecognised masterpiece. Watching
it again a couple of times since its theatrical release has
only confirmed my belief that it deserves many accolades and
is certainly justified a position in my personal all-time
greats. I now have eleven films in my top ten!
Why
is it so good? I hear you ask. Well, although it contains
English subtitles they are always clear and too few to distract
you from the enjoyment of watching the film. The pacing is
spot on; there's no padding here, and the jolts and revelations
are evenly spread throughout the running time, keeping you
both hooked and spooked. The music score is intelligently
utilised, enhancing the emotional ups and downs of plotline
events, but never once spoiling the sponteneity of a fright.
Aside from the last major scene, The Eye is simply
and effectively filmed; indeed, many of the early parts are
merely blurred images seen through the eyes of the cornea
transplant patient, Mun. But these are genuinely creepy moments,
believe me.
For
some years now the makers of horror movies have been forced
to use other means to produce a reaction from hardened audiences.
This is normally achieved with shock tactics, either with
increasingly violent gore-fests, or with cop-out loud noises
and suddenly slamming doors. The Eye gets back to what
horror films should be all about: scaring the hell out of
people with a good story, inducing goose pimples and spine
tingling. It's no exaggeration to say this is the creepiest
film I have ever seen and, unlike the classic The Exorcist,
you enjoy watching it. The front blurb on the original DVD
cover makes inevitable comparisons with The Sixth Sense,
but although there are minor similarities, I think The
Eye is a much better film.
And
now the strange bit. This is the second release on DVD for
The Eye, but this version is supposed to be the Special
Edition. That's where the confusion lies. Granted, this release
has improved picture and sound quality (with the option of
Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 EX Surround, and
DTS-ES 6.1 Discrete Surround), but the only other extras are
trailers. Where are the extras which were on the original
release (Making of... Documentary, Pang Brothers Documentary,
Promotional Art Gallery, Star and Director Filmographies,
Justin Bower Film Notes)?
I'm
reliably informed by our illustrious and all-powerful editor
that there is not a missing disc, so my complaint is why not
the additional features? If this is an oversight it's a pretty
serious one, and mars what would have been the perfect release.
The
film itself deserves an unquestionable 10, but for forgetting
those extras it's lucky to drop only one point.
Ty
Power
Buy
this item online
We
compare prices online so you get the cheapest
deal!
Click on the logo of the desired store below
to purchase this item.
|
|
|
£14.99
(Amazon.co.uk) |
| |
|
|
|
£16.99
(MVC.co.uk) |
| |
|
|
|
£10.99
(Streetsonline.co.uk) |
All prices correct at time of going to press.
|
|
