Director: Danny Pang, Oxide Pang
Screenplay: Danny Pang, Oxide Pang, Jo Jo Yuet-chun Hui
Starring: Angelica Lee, Lawrence Chou, Chutcha Rujinanon
Country: Hong Kong, Singapore
Running Time: 99 minutes
Year: 2002
When blind musician Wong Kar Mun (Angelica Lee) has her eyesight restored following a cornea transplant, she’s initially astounded to discover the beauty of the world around her. Her nascent wonder soon turns to fear as her newfound sight becomes plagued with harrowing and uncanny visions. She confides in her psychiatrist Dr Wah (Lawrence Chou), who believes her body is just adapting to her new corneas. But his skepticism quickly shatters when they realize Wong Kar Mun’s visions are not hallucinations, but grim portents of death.
While not J-Horror, nor K-Horror for that matter, The Eye rode the same wave. I seem to remember being a bit sniffy about it when it was first released, but on reflection, what this mongrel lacks in a bit of discipline, it makes up for in an obnoxious style.
The setup is simple. When Wong Kar Mun’s bandages come off and her restored eyesight gradually becomes accustomed to the world around her, she takes a while to realise she’s actually Haley Joel Osment. She can see dead people.
While Wong Kar Mun is a bit slow on the uptake, we the audience are in no doubt. The Pang brothers are not subtle and wring potential out of every setup. Jump scares abound, claustrophobic framing, sentimental links to kiddies; every trick in the book is pulled out. It runs out of steam a bit with a slightly daft ending that pulls the last available punch. A decent cast and the Pang’s admirable lack of decorum have carried us this far though, so it’s a small quibble.
The classics of the genre –Ringu, The Grudge, etc- are so well established, and deservedly so, that The Eye has a small benefit. It prevailed on lower expectations to be a hell of a lot of fun.
VIDEO
This is an excellent 4K presentation. It emphasises the Pang brothers’ style, whereby previous releases perhaps just came across as a film riding on the laurels of more illustrious predecessors. Now, we can see it as a bold visual feast. Characters stand out in sharp contrast to an almost bleached palette. It has a green-ish hue and feels very 90s, recalling Cameron or the Wachowskis.
AUDIO
2.0 and 5.1 soundtracks are available. I found the 5.1 stunning for surround effects, but dialogue was distractingly spread. The 2.0 is more centred and still packs a satisfying punch.
EXTRA FEATURES
A nice balance of archival and new, substantial material, help re-evaluate The Eye’s legacy. Heather Wixson’s essay stands out in particular with a fascinating feminine angle.
- Brand new 4K restoration by Arrow Films
- 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
- Original lossless Cantonese DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio and stereo audio
- Optional English subtitles
- Reflections on The Eye, a brand new interview with producer Peter Ho-Sun Chan
- To See and to Feel: Vision, Empathy and the Feminine Ghost Story in The Eye, a brand new visual essay on the film by critic and horror specialist Heather Wixson
- An archival making-of featurette with interviews with producers Peter Ho-Sun Chan and Lawrence Cheng and actors Angelica Lee and Lawrence Chou
- An archival featurette on directors Danny and Oxide Pang
- Original theatrical trailers
- Image gallery
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tommy Pocket
- Collectors’ booklet featuring new writing on the film by film critic and Asian cinema specialist Hayley Scanlon