The Eye 15 (from Oxford Mail)

French filmmakers David Moreau and Xavier Palud (Them) co-direct this English language remake of Oxide & Danny Pang's 2002 horror-thriller about a woman plagued by nightmarish visions of the dead.

The Eye hinges on a speculative phenomenon called cellular memory, which claims some transplant patients exhibit characteristics of the donor.

In the case of Moreau and Palud's film, the sightless heroine undergoes a cornea transplant and suddenly glimpses a netherworld of pain and suffering.

The new version pales next to the chilling original, transplanting the ghostly goings-on from Hong Kong and Thailand to Los Angeles and Mexico.

The central narrative remains largely intact though, centring on talented concert violinist Sydney Wells (Alba), who has been blind since the age of five, but this hasn't prevented her dazzling audiences with her skilled musicianship.

Sydney's sister Helen (Posey) encourages her to undergo cornea transplant surgery, so that she will be able to enjoy her life to the full with all five senses. The operation goes smoothly but then Sydney begins to notice spectral figures that no one else can see.

"I'm seeing things I shouldn't see, I'm dreaming things I haven't seen," she sobs.

Fearing that she might be losing her mind, Sydney tries to seeks help from psychiatrist Dr Paul Faulker (Nivola).

Dr Faulkner is dismissive of Sydney's claims that she can see the dear departed, but is also intrigued by her symptoms.

When the visions become increasingly vivid, Sydney and Paul head to Mexico to investigate a tragic fire and the subsequent suicide of a girl dubbed a witch by the locals.

The interlopers realise that the chilling hallucinations are an omen of impending doom and it is up to Sydney to use her new gift of foresight to make a difference.

The Eye opens with a young woman, Ana (Romero), hanging herself in a wooden hut and something wicked emerging from the shadows to claim her soul.

Unfortunately, this is as unsettling as Moreau and Palud's pedestrian film ever gets. Alba affects an ever-changing array of startled and shocked expressions to reflect her heroine's fragile mental state, and she's even less convincing with a violin and bow.

Nivola and Posey's two-dimensional supporting characters exist solely to further the plot and drive it towards its explosive resolution - a big action sequence that packs far less punch than the original, considering all of the build-up.

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