The Child’s Eye 3D – Review

The Child’s Eye is the latest entry in the Pang Brothers’ “Eye” horror series, one that began in fine fashion with 2002’s The Eye. Six young holidaymakers from Hong Kong are stranded in Bangkok when the airport is occupied by demonstrators demanding the prime minister’s resignation.  Despite the story is similar with typical horror film plots, the visual and sound effects of the film are very well created, which makes this film worth watching.  The gang has to take shelter at a rundown hotel and they immediately sense that things are not quite right.

Hong Kong’s first 3-D horror movie, and the first Hong Kong production to be entirely shot in HD, The Child’s Eye 3D is not as lame as the previous entry in the Pang Brothers’ cycle. Trust us, we know, as a number of their films have been reviewed on the website. Turns out a ghost is also in residence there that only a dog can see. Of course, I wasn’t able to watch this film in 3D so I can’t speak on if it was utilized well or not, but speaking on behalf of the DVD, the film just doesn’t have any real benefits that I can recommend.  As strange and sinister things start to happen, they begin disappearing one after another. The how and why of the situation is what keeps things a bit fresher then what you might be used too.

I, personally, would prefer this movie to build tension and fear around the beginning of the movie with some scary scenes, and let it get scarier and scarier towards the end of the movie.This movie did not manage to build terror and fear towards the end of the movie. 2002’s “The Eye” was so good that it spawned a Hollywood remake starring Jessica Alba, and even offered the brothers the opportunity to, at least for a while. I don’t see this film moving the brothers into a bigger role in Hollywood. This film will act as a trendsetter however, as I’m sure this will mean more 3D entries in the future, ad more films shot in HD. This movie is rather unique as it has the elements of comedy, horror and fantasy. The idea used in this movie about this dog-human hybridisation was very original and interesting.

In conclusion, this is a solid effort but doesn’t necessarily revive my faith in Asian horror. The genre still needs a much needed breathe of fresh air that doesn’t fall into old cliches. Oh, also the dog in the film can not only understand English but both Cantonese and Mandarin, which is the most absurd thing I’ve witness on film this year.  The film isn’t trying to be a in-your-face horror films like those from Korea or Thailand. The scare level wasn’t very high, but it was well shot. It’s just a feeling that the Pangs have been kicking a dead horse around for quite some time now. I have to say, if watched in 3D, it would be nice. Though this film probably wouldn’t make it to the big screens past Asia. That’s unfortunate for everyone who might want to see a good Horror film this holiday season.