Asian Cinema Owns Me-The Eye (2002)

[Mofo Rising]

I think the whole asian actors also being popstars has been around for a while.  Sorry, no cites.

I just saw THE EYE the other day, which I have owned for several weeks now but have not watched (same with SPIDER).

I agree with the guy at work who told me it was good, but not something to go out and buy (although I did).  It's creepy, but of course, like most ghost stories, it eventually falls back on the old trope that spirits are left in the world to resolve unresolved affairs.  This always results in an emotional breakthrough for whoever the main ghost-seeing character happens to be.  Nothing wrong with the story, but when you come to expect it, it loses some of its power.

The comparisons to THE SIXTH SENSE are valid, but only in a way that every movie in a space station with aliens ends up being ALIEN or ALIENS.  The difference here, is that THE SIXTH SENSE had me at an emotional level while THE EYE had me a step removed.

That being said the movie had some very creepy moments.  I thought the creepiest moment was when she first saw the woman in the hospital.  Mostly due to that groaning, which struck me as an obviously human noise, but one made with no consciousness behind it, like the noises severely mentally impaired people make.  Or the fact that she has to live with daily being confronted with the horrific elements of life and there is no escape.  Death, decay, anger and sorrow, always there as your constant companion.  Epitomized in the elevator scene, where she is trapped in a box with the deformed (and dead) ghost.

Anyway, I think the major weakness of the movie is that there is no world beyond the main characters.  Secondary characters drop off the map and are never brought up again.  What was going on between the main character's grandmother and sister and that exorcist.  It seemed like there was something, but they disappear from the movie.  Did Yingying have any family, or was she just there?  If these connections to a real world had been explored the movie would have been that much more powerful.

I'm looking forward to seeing other movies from these guys.  Especially THE TESSERACT.  I also here good things about PULSE (or KAIRO).

[RIBZ]

HEY THE EYE IS A PIECE OF s**t !!!!
THE RING AND THE GRUDGE OWN!!!!!  

AND ICHI THE KILLER R0X

[Dreggen]

I rented the eye and watched it with my girlfriend.  It was really good.  That elevator scene was awesome, sure would freak me out.  I think I might have to buy this one.

[blkrider]

I don't like a lot of the Asian horror films, but THE EYE really worked for me.  I thought it was a thousand times better than THE SIXTH SENSE, which relied too heavily on the twist ending gimmick.  

I'm probably one of the few people who liked the RING remake better than the original, and I saw the original years before the remake was even in the planning stages.  Most of the Asian films are just too slow moving for my taste, but I still manage to find a few that I like here and there.

[Master Blaster]

I agree with you there. I liked both Ringu and the Ring, but Ringu just didnt have the same impact. It was too slow, and the psycic thing doesnt seem realistic to Americans.

And just to stay on topic the Eye was excellent. The elevator scene is a favorite of mine. Scary as all hell.

[lester1/2jr]

http://www.lovehkfilm.com/panasia/freeze_me.htm

[dudeman]

I never liked the Eye much. Just didn't work for me. Seemed like Ringu recycled. I'm a pretty big Asian film fan myself. So far, best Asian movie I've seen recently is Oldboy, real crazy stuff. It too is going to be remade by Hollywood.