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The Eye (2002) ~ Film Review
The Eye is a Japanese horror film that blurs genres to the point of blindness. It is hard to tell exactly what genre it is, but it has horror elements worth noting. A 20-year-old violinist, Mun, who has been blind since the age of two, undergoes an eye cornea transplant. Shortly thereafter, she begins to see shadowy figures that foretell peoples’ deaths. Just like any other conventional ghost movie, viewers can expect to see ghosts popping out around corners. In fact, this movie is very much like The Sixth Sense, but there are some key differences. Mun can foretell what will happen, but she doesn’t really have the ability to stop anything. This is depressing for the viewer and makes this horror movie sadder than a horror movie should really be.
Romance is also a major part of the film and pretty much overshadows everything at the end, which again takes away from the film's horror aspects. The technical aspects of the movie are impressive, including the first-person views that make the viewer feel one with Mun and completely disoriented. This makes you feel as if your world is falling apart, which I imagine Mun was feeling. The viewer also becomes attached to Mun emotionally, and you really want her to succeed in her quest for figuring out why she sees all these ghosts. Still, with the nifty camera work and some genuine scares, this movie doesn’t hold a horror fan’s attention. I don’t necessarily need constant gruesome scenes and demons, but I also don’t want a horror film to play out more like a depressing thriller romance. If you add too many genres, sometimes it just depletes the impact of any one genre.
If you liked The Eye, you might also like Ju-On: The Grudge and The Changeling.
