A brilliant film that helped define a genre

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Growing up in the United States in the 90's, I was never really exposed to foreign film as a child. Foreign films were more a niche market at that time... something you had to actively be aware of and seek out for yourself in cramped back-sections of video-stores or through special orders in magazines. It wasn't really until my mid-teens in the early 2000's that I became a fan, when a rash of Americanized remakes and reboots started to popularize foreign film- particularly Asian cinema- to increasing numbers of western audiences. Soon enough, by the time I was 16, I was ordering Region-Free imports of films and series online, scouring the shelves of the local Video King for the latest translated releases and borrowing whatever I could from friends and relatives.One of my favorite finds around that time was the Pang Brother's wonderfully eerie and thrilling 2002 release "The Eye"- a fun but somewhat flawed ghost-story about a woman who goes through a cornea transplant and gains the ability to see spirits and ghouls. It was a very fun little tale of terror, and even to this day, I give it a watch now and then. However, I wasn't immediately aware that the film was only the first of a series, with several sequels of inconsistent quality having followed. So you could imagine my surprise a few years later when I stumbled onto "The Eye 2" on a store-shelf one Summer day. "The Eye 2" is most certainly a peculiar follow-up. Not a direct sequel by any means, the film tells a unique tale regarding a depressed woman named Joey (Shu Qi) who tries to commit suicide after a failed relationship, but survives and learns that she is pregnant with the child of her former lover. Soon though, she begins to see vile spectral figures that follow her, and she learns that they are trying to take ahold of her unborn baby so that they may be reborn into the human world. And so, she goes on a journey to try and discover just what's happening and if there is any way to save her baby from being taken over by these seemingly vengeful spirits.The film does falter quite a bit in the fear department which is why it loses some crucial points for me, and a big part of the issues at hand is the lack of fear and panic in comparison with the first film. While it does have a few select moments of genuine creeps and jumps, the film is far too focused on story and character to really get under your skin, and the genuine scares often come few and far in between. I also found that Joey, while a compelling enough protagonist, is saddled far too often in the first half into being little more than a sort-of sad-eyed puppy-dog of a woman. Yes, the film is about an emotionally damaged woman... but it can be a bit overbearing at times.However, the film excels and is still a worthy watch due to the shockingly warm heart it contains beneath the surface. It really sets the film apart of not only the other entries in the series, but also the other contemporary horror films as a whole. The film is genuinely an emotional roller-coaster and many of its twists and turns are actually quite sweet and good-natured. It may seem counter-intuitive for a horror film to have a good moral center, but it actually works quite well here. The film's themes tend to center on ideas like seeking forgiveness from both oneself and the others around us, the concept of motherhood as a whole and just doing the right thing no matter what, and it gives the film a very fulfilling arc for not only Joey as a character, but everyone around her. Qi is quite good as our protagonist even if it takes some time to accept her depressive personality. And supporting roles by the likes of Eugenia Yuan and Jesdaporn Pholdee are exceptionally well-played and add a lot to the proceedings.While it's never quite as startling as I'd have wished, I still find "The Eye 2" a very fun and engaging feature, and I'd definitely highly recommend it to fans of foreign horror. For me, it's a pretty solid 7 out of 10. If you liked the original, give it a shot. I'd just also recommend steering clear of the third film... Oh, boy.

An important observation regarding the title is that there is absolutely no relation between the movie & the title. I felt cheated because going by the title, I thought this movie has some connection with Gin gwai/The Eye which was one of my favourite movies. Since the first movie was a hit, just to cash on the success, the directors Pang Brothers named this movie as a sequel but the story is completely new one. Since the story isn't bad at all, they should have kept an independent tile. The second thing which I hated immensely was the background score in the 1st half. Random usage of heavy music was actually distracting although in the 2nd half the situation improved. As a whole I would say job not well done as far as background score was considered.The movie stars Shu Qi (from The Transporter) as the depressed lover of a married man. Feeling that she is being rejected/neglected by him, she attempts suicide but is saved in time & finds that she is pregnant. She also begins to see dead people especially a dead woman who keeps on stalking her. She believes that this woman is after her unborn child. Who is this woman? Why is she after her baby? Does what she is seeing are really ghosts? Catch the movie to find the answers.The movie initially seems to be a simple routine horror flick but as it goes towards the climax, it tries to go into the realms of psychology. In fact the movie scores with its intelligently woven structure. The good thing about original Asian horror including this movie is that they have very good stories. The movie belongs completely to Shu Qi. She is present in almost every frame of the movie & the movie is completely dependent on her. She does a very good job.The main purpose of a horror thriller is giving some scares & Gin gwai 2 has a few chills packed neatly. All in all a decent attempt. I would have given slightly better rating had the makers not cheated me (I am still angry) by giving a false title to the movie.If you like horror movies, go for this. You will get your money's worth.

~Spoiler~The Eye 2 sees the Pang Brothers back in familiar territory. This time out they're telling a completely different ghost story that has little to do with the original film. The new story follows a pregnant Shu Qi as she tries to kill herself multiple times and something will not let her die. Once again there are some chilling moments but I was ultimately let down. I watched Stir of Echoes, The Eye, and The Eye 2 back to back to back; I'm ready for an evil ghost movie. The ghosts in this film just hang around pregnant women while they are waiting to be reincarnated. The idea would have made a good anthology episode, but hardly warrants a feature film. That's the main flaw here, it didn't hold my attention. And I found Shu's character to be very annoying. She whines all the time and even after she knows the ghosts don't have evil intentions she is still afraid they are going to hurt her baby. If Philip Kwok tells you the ghosts just want to be reincarnated, you believe him. I know they are capable filmmakers, but the Pang Brothers have yet to seriously impress me.

I couldn't resist watching a movie with Qi Shu after seeing her in The Transporter. Unfortunately, while she did a great job of acting, the movie itself left a lot to be desired.It was really nothing more than an episode of Ghost Whisperer. She doesn't have "the gift" of seeing spirits until she attempts suicide subsequent to another failed relationship -- like anyone would believe that someone wouldn't want her! It is more than seeing spirits, it relates to Buddhist beliefs and reincarnation. The key is that the spirits want to be reborn and forget their past lives. They do this by possessing babies as they are born.Of course, she is pregnant, too. She keeps seeing the same spirit and wants to find out why it is haunting her. That is an interesting part of the story and I won't spoil it for you.The only real horror is the fact that she attempts suicide three more times and fails each time. You won't believe the last two attempts.So, I got to see Qi Shu again, but I was hoping for better horror.