DVD review (region 1 & 2)
Directed by David Moreau, Xavier Palud
Starring Jessica Alba, Alessandro Nivola, Parker Posey
Release date Out now (region 1); 8 September 2008 (region 2)

When a pioneering eye transplant is used to give a blind girl the gift of sight, she also gains the ability to see the dead…

It was inevitable that a Hollywood remake would follow 2002’s genuinely creepy Hong Kong horror The Eye. The only question is, what kept them so long?

Jessica Alba struggles in the lead role of the blind violinist, demonstrating that beauty doesn’t always equal charisma. As part of an ensemble she can be effective enough but here, asked to carry a fairly difficult part, she is just too much of a blank slate.

Directors David Moreau and Xavier Palud deliver some reasonable shocks and scares, but in truth they are almost exclusively cribbed from the original. Unfortunately, it’s a case of there being nothing new to see here.

The extras on the disc are fairly standard with deleted scenes that were rightfully lopped from the movie and assorted behind-the-scenes material and a trailer. Perhaps the best feature deals with the creation of the Shadowman character, played by animator Brett Hayworth, a man clearly in need of a good meal!

A second disc with a digital copy of the movie is included in the unlikely event that you’d want this taking up space on your Ipod. Jonathan Wilkins

VERDICT: 4/10
Pointless and far too ‘Hollywood’ to be worth a second look.

Click here to read the original cinema review.