Ghost Stories at Their Dullest

Have you ever been charged up for a movie you think will be excellent only to find out midway it doesn't meet expectations? Afterwards you wonder what all the praise was about. Did I see the right movie? Should I go out in the woods alone, and contemplate the movie until I come to an epiphany to fully realize and appreciate its brilliance? Well the last one might be a bit of a stretch but you get the idea. This has been happening to me quite a lot in the last couple of years. Now it's The Eye (2002) of horror fame. Before that it was 300, Leon: The Professional, and Little Shop of Horrors (I'll take whatever you got fanboys).

Back to The Eye. This Chinese movie features a blind woman undergoing an operation to restore her vision. She slowly recuperates only to figure out she sees dead people. While you might have never heard of the movie you're probably familiar with the premise. Frankly I wasn't too impressed for The Sixth Sense in the first place. But you'd think even if the plot was a bit derivative it would have some good acting and a genuine feeling of suspense. No it doesn't have any of that. You think I'd say otherwise after that rant earlier? The acting is sub-par at best. And I know the whole movie is trying to scare viewer in a subtle fashion but it only comes off as boring. I know that sounds like I have a short attention span but trust me it doesn't work. 2001: A Space Odyssey did much better job in that regard. That movie used unique shots and had HAL's cold voice to creep you out. The Eye has an unimaginative screen play among other horror cliches. I swear I've seen each scene in a different movie. Also the relationship between the patient and her psychologist is unbelievable and just weird.

Like The Ring and The Grudge, The Eye is getting an American version, starring Jessica Alba. Sigh. I would like every movie to be good but Alba has me very hesitant. The only movie she was half way decent in was Sin City. Gah I'm harsh.