When looking at the state of Hollywood genre films it has become a (mostly) barren wasteland where if they’re not remaking classics from previous decades or littering the home video market with direct-to-DVD sequels trying to bring in viewers with name recognition they’re now looking to outside of North America for sources. It all began in 2002 with the Americanization of the popular J-horror flick Ringu and shows no sign of slowing down with localizations of The Grudge, One Missed Call, and Pulse stinking up the place. Big studios have even branched out from Asian cinema as evidenced by the upcoming Let Me In. So that brings me to The Eye, an American re-do of Danny and Oxide Pang’s marginally suspenseful 2002 film.

Rather than deliver a spooky supernatural story, the people behind this version of the story have seen fit to miscast Jessica Alba in the lead role and, somehow, managed to make what should be an intriguing story into a mediocre bore. Which is weird when you consider the adaptation by Sebastian Gutierrez (Gothika, Snakes on a Plane) stays mostly faithful to its source material delivering much of the same plotting and re-enactments of set pieces from the original.

Alba plays Sidney, a sightless twenty-something violinist who lost her vision in a freak accident when she was five-years-old. She’s managed to adapt to her loss of sight quite well but still decides, with the prodding of her sister Helen (Parker Posey), to go through with a procedure that involves having a cornea transplant in order to be able to see the World around her again.

The operation is a success but Sidney finds her new eyesight is going to take time to adjust, which gives co-directors David Moreau and Xavier Palud plenty of opportunity to use her blurry vision to their advantage as her eyes start playing tricks on her making her see various spectres and quick flashes of evil doings while a whole lot of deep rumbling goes on in the background to try and put the audience on edge.

Sidney soon finds herself paired up with rehabilitation doctor Paul (Alessandro Nivola) who is basically here to try and convince her she’s seeing things while, eventually, becoming a love interest. Which is great for Sidney because she’s going to need his help once she realizes that not only does she have the ability to see the recently dead, as well as the poorly done CG shadow creature that escorts them to the other side, but she’s also been getting messages from the deceased donor of her new corneas and said dead girl wants her to unravel a mystery – you know, the typical stuff that goes on in these J-horror remakes.

In the lead, Alba does not belong here. Having built a career as the “girl next door” eye candy since becoming a leading lady she’s definitely more suited for whatever passable romantic comedy (usually co-starring a lame comedian such as Dane Cook) she’s cast in than trying to put on the angst-filled performance she does here. We never get a feeling of desperation from her, which I certainly would have if I kept seeing messed-up visions of dead people. Nivola doesn’t fare much better as the male lead making no real impression and they’ve managed to waste indie film darling Posey (A Mighty Wind) in her minor side role that adds nothing to the story.

While it isn’t quite as mediocre as some of the aforementioned remakes, The Eye is still a pretty feeble time. The problem here is that the premise is, by now, so overdone that it’s hard to really give much of a care about the “how?” and “why?” of Sidney’s haunting. Even when the script tries to have our characters go in search of the truth it’s just more of the same old half-baked hyperbole about redemption from beyond the grave. Granted, there are a few okay directorial touches on hand but they’re bumped up against things that come across as unintentionally funny – a prime example being where Alba sees the donor in a mirror and proceeds to smash it (kinda cool) only for her to clutch madly at her eye and pull it apart while grunting away (not cool at all). (Chris Hartley, 5/30/10)

Directed By: David Moreau, Xavier Palud.
Written By: Sebastian Gutierrez.

Starring: Jessica Alba, Alessandro Nivola, Parker Posey, Rade Serbedzija.