The Eye (DVD)

Sydney Wells (Jessica Alba) is a virtuoso violinist who's lived most of her life without the gift of sight, thanks to the childhood carelessness of her sister Helen (Parker Posey). Consumed by guilt, Helen has been looking for ways to make amends ever since. Finally she does, when she discovers not only a groundbreaking new surgical procedure that will restore Sydney's ability to see, but a good-looking psychologist to help out after the fact.

Dr. Paul Faulkner (Alessandro Nivola) may be easy on the eyes, but he's hard as nails on Sydney as she tentatively adjusts to her new visual existence. He refuses to believe her when she tells him she's having nightmarish visions of the past, leaving the gorgeous gal to fend for herself. (Helen has also conveniently slipped out of the picture.)

Of course, he comes back — but not before solo Sydney is subjected to ghoulish ghosts in elevators, on the streets, and even in her own bathroom mirror. Without the luxury of Western Union, restless souls who have to send a message decide instead to use Sydney Wells as conduit… but why her? There's the mystery, if you care. Personally, I did not. I found this remake maddeningly myopic in comparison to the original, and the blatantly Heroes-influenced additions to the whole affair simply resistible.

Fans of Alba's attributes will no doubt appreciate her skimpy attire throughout the movie (though, like Barbie, she's nipple-free in her white tee, thanks to the kid-friendly rating). She does play blind a lot better than Bryce Dallas Howard did in The Village, and when the scares come, Alba's believable enough in such unbelievable situations. Posey is wasted in her relegated role, and Nivola is so unlikable and completely topsy-turvy in his character's mindset that it's nearly impossible to keep up.

Read horror.com's review of The Eye theatrical release here

The DVD's touted as a two-disc special edition, but one of them is simply a digital copy of the same stuff for your PC. As for featurettes and the like, you've got a few short docs totaling under a half-hour. They don't even spend two minutes on the film's visual effects! (Of which there are many; needless to say, The Eye is a CGI eyeful). There's also a little bit about the theory of cellular memory, and some sound-bites from people who've undergone transplant surgery and claim they were changed in unexplainable ways.

• Shadow World: The Paranormal Past featurette
• Becoming Sydney featurette
• Birth of the Shadowman featurette
• Dissecting a Disaster featurette
• Deleted scenes
• Theatrical trailer

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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson