The Eye - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

The Eye



Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
Back in 2008, I remember watching the Jessica Alba film The Eye back on Blu-ray (it was one of the first Lionsgate Blu-rays I got in that format war era) and feeling a bit underwhelmed. It had the feeling of being a much better property than it was, and I kept hearing constant comparisons to the original 2002 films. Sadly, I never imported the VERY expensive Blu-ray of the original until I noticed that Arrow was releasing the film a few months back and dove into the opportunity to request the 4K and finally see what all the hubbub was about. And like most Asian horror films that get remade for the U.S. market, the Alba version can’t hold a candle to the source.

Our story follows young Mun (Angelica Lee), a blind girl who is finally getting the chance to see thanks to a corneal transplant. The operation seems to go fine, and much to the excitement of the doctors and her family, Mun can see again. While her brain and eyes are adjusting to their new normal, Mun starts to see things out of the corner of her eye. A mysterious, shadowy figure hanging around the hospital. The only thing is, the day that the figure arrives, people start dying, and it hangs around. Thinking she’s just seeing visual “ghosts” (so to speak) thanks to her new eyesight, Mun puts it out of her mind and attempts to live her life as normal.

But her eyes don’t just see strange shadows, but people who have no right to be alive. A boy who committed suicide after losing his report card. A mother and her daughter hanging around a shop, and even the ghost of a boy who recently lost his life in a car accident. Collaborating with her doctor to find out what’s going on, it soon becomes apparent that Mun’s eyesight from the corneal transplant allows her to pierce the veil between worlds, allowing her to glimpse the souls of the recently departed, as well as the shadowy figures that guide them to the other side. A “gift” from the person who owned these corneas last.

The Eye is incredibly spooky, changing from a horror film to a mystery film at the drop of a hat. And instead of going for gore and jump scares, it uses the sheer creepiness of being able to see what you’re not supposed to see as the vehicle for the terror. The film is moody, atmospheric, and while it uses some very modern-day tropes, it also leans heavily into the Chinese floating ghosts tropes, and some classic suicide moments to push home the creepiness (the Chinese have a REAL big thing about suicide). After pulling out my 2008 Alba remake to compare, I have to give this version a much bigger thumbs up. The 2008 film relies way too much on modern jump scares, and the more fluid use of just being able to see the creepy interactions with the spirits adds a more organic and visceral feel to Mun’s confusion and terror over what is going on.




Rating:

Rated R for some disturbing images




4K Video: Video:

As is the case with 99% of the Arrow supervised remasters, The Eye looks incredible on 4K UHD. According to the info I could dig up from the Arrow sources, The Eye/Gin gwai was remastered by pulling from the 35mm OCN and scanned in 4K at WE Distribution, and then later color graded at R3Store Studios, and overseen by Arrow Studios.

The image is a bit green and blue in typical early 2000s Chinese fashion, and looks fantastic detail-wise. Some of the sequences will look blurry and hazy due to the aesthetic of seeing through a woman who has just surgically been able to see. So while it’s not going to look razor sharp in every scene, it most certainly is a directorial choice. But the rest of the time, this is a great-looking image, with strong grain structure (almost 80s and 90s levels of grain, I might add), with bright backgrounds out in the city, and dimly lit sequences inside the buildings. I did notice that the grain dips and rises with the environment, allowing for minor spikes and dips from scene to scene, but nothing that would wildly shock anyone. Skin tones look good (if not a slight bit pale), and black levels are superb with the Dolby Vision application. Colors aren’t going to be super vivid with the green/blue color grading, but the hellish red from the ceremonial candles pops a bit, as is the giant fireball in the ending “twist” that takes out most of a city block.









Audio:

In typical Arrow fashion, we’re given a 5.1 DTS-HD MA track and a 2.0 LPCM track for night listening (both in the original Cantonese), and this is the belle of the ball. This is an extremely intense and rich track, even though it’s not as bombastic and visceral as the 2008 remake was. But I’d argue that it’s a bit more natural and balanced (the 2008 Lionsgate remake was a veritable bass bomb). Dialog is crisp and clear, with a strong main presence as Mun travels around trying to figure out what’s happening to her. The surrounds and overheads get used a goodly amount thanks to the constant spiritual interactions she finds herself in, as well as the hustle and bustle of busy streets. Bass isn’t going to be a bomb, but it’s very rich and full, with a strong low-end presence for the creepier moments, culminating in the treat that is that final interaction with “death” near the very end. Maybe not a PERFECT track, but really close.














Extras:

• 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

Final Score: ​

The Eye is a fantastic bit of Asian horror, rivaling the original The Grudge and Ringu films for being deliciously creepy and moody without using traditional jump scares. Arrow’s collector’s edition is fabulous, with great video and audio. Though I noticed this was a bit light in the loafers when it comes to extras, which is a rare thing for Arrow collector’s editions these days. That being said, the set is still quite a treat and well worth checking out for supernatural horror fans.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Angelica Lee, Edmund Chen, Lawrence Chou, Candy Lo
Directed by: Danny Pang, Oxide Chun Pang
Written by: Yuet-Jan Hui, Danny Pang, Oxide Chun Pang
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 HEVC
Audio: Cantonese: DTS-HD MA 5.1, Cantonese LPCM 2.0
Subtitles: English
Studio: Arrow
Rated: R
Runtime: 99 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: April 21st, 2026

Recommendation: Fun Watch