Rated One of the Worst... but I think one of the most misunderstood films of the 90's (1 Viewer)

[Gary Tooze]

I know the vipers out there are all set to pounce... but I'll stand alone if need be:
I think 1999's "Eye of the Beholder" with an IMdb rating of 4.3/10 is one of the most misunderstood and under appreciated films of the 90's...
My full graphic review ( with 10 screen captures ) is here:
CLICK HERE TO ACCESS
Excerpt:
"What we have are two of the most intricate, deeply fascinating characters ... Because of their untypical portraits of a serial killer and obsessive hunting detective they are shunned as "unbelievable" by the same crowd that adored "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon...".
Likeable?, understandable?.. no, perhaps these characters are not. Joanna's survival instincts and the Eye's obsession melded with each of their bonded and firmly rooted physiological anomalies make them totally interesting and therefore totally appealing in my book. All this wrapped up in a very elegant, stone-cold jazz feel..."
Regards,

 

[Robin Warren]

Interesting read but I tried to watch this on HBO and was unable to sit through it. Maybe I will give it another shot and keep an open mind. I did this with Ninth Gate and really enjoyed it. Thanks for the review.

 

[Bruce Hedtke]

I won't be giving it another chance. I won't say it was a bad film, it certainly had stylistic intentions and some heady ideas...but, it was just incomprehensible to me. It really made no sense and it didn't seem interesting enough to warrant a second look to maybe figure some things out. If the movies agenda was to mystify...it succeeded admirably.
Bruce

 

[Michael Caicedo]

I can sit through any Ashley Judd movie. :b But seriously, I thought this was a decent but not exceptional thriller, certainly not deserving of a 4.3 rating on IMDB. Perhaps I do need to rent again.

 

[Quentin]

Man, I really thought this was an unwatchable, unfocused, mess of a film.

 

[Mark Palermo]

My memories of this film have faded too much for me to stand up for it. But it's generally the case that whenever Hollywood makes an interesting film of artistic merit and markets it to the mainstream, blockbuster crowd, that film develops a horrible reputation (not only from audiences, but also critics, who have gotten so comfortable in deriding Hollywood for its lack of originality, that they actually take offense when studio films are substantial.) Recent examples: A.I., Bringing Out the Dead, The Summer of Sam, Unbreakable, Freddy Got Fingered.

Mark

 

[Josh_Hill]

I totally agree Gary. I to think this is just a greatly misunderstood and forgotten film. I love it. I think it says a lot about lonliness and longing. Plus, Ewan and Ashley are great. Ashley as never been better IMHO.

 

[Craig S]

Ashley & Ewan are always watchable, and they tried their best, but when I came out of the theater after watching Eye Of The Beholder all I could say was "What the f*** was THAT all about?!?!".
It was one messed-up film, IMO. I'm glad some of you enjoyed it.

 

[Ross Williams]

I guess you're right. I think I went into this thinking it would be another by-the-numbers Hollywood thriller, the kind of film I could follow with my eyes closed half the time. I was much more challenged than I was lead to believe, and that may have turned me off. I did like some certain scenes within the film, but overall I guess I didn't get it. I think it's time for me to give it another chance. Thanks for bringing this film up.

It's nice to read about another film here, besides Lord of the Rings or Star Wars, not that there's anything wrong with those films.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

I haven't seen this movie yet, for whatever reason, but maybe I'll check it out this weekend. My brother is a HUGE movie buff and said it was very...interesting...but he said it was worth watching, which is good enough for me.

 

[Marc Colella]

This film definetely didn't make a great deal of sense, and the ending left me wondering "what happened?".

However I have to say that I really got sucked into this one. I liked that very little information about the characters and their motives were given, and that I had to piece things together based on nothing but pure assumption.

It's refreshing to watch a film that makes you work instead of getting spoon-fed all the anwsers.

The cinematography and general style of the film hypnotized me.

I give it a solid 7 out of 10.

 

[Bill McA]

In defense of the film, it should be noted that the final release version was NOT the director's intended cut.
The film was taken out of the director's hands and re-edited by the producers to make the film more 'commercial'.
This would account for some of the admittedly slightly confusing aspects of the film and should not be blamed on the creative members of the crew.
That said, I still got the gist of the original intent and quite enjoyed the film and would suggest a second viewing for those adventurous film fans out there.
Not a 'great' film, but a very interesting one...and Geneviève Bujold was great as usual!
Thanks for the review, Gary!

 

[Jacob_St]

I really enjoy this film and agree that it doesn't deserve the bad reputation it's been given. What a shame the producers decided to hack away at the original. It's a miracle that it still ended up being good after their chopping.

 

[Josh_Hill]

Bill I think he need a directors cut DVD now!

 

[Craig S]

it should be noted that the final release version was NOT the director's intended cut

I wasn't aware of that. I'd be happy to give EotB a second chance if I could see the cut the director intended.

 

[Gary Tooze]

ending left me wondering "what happened?"

it never crossed your mind that it was supposed to do that? You know a lot of people had this reaction to 2001: A Space Odyssey ( "Hey, I don't get it" )... that doesn't make it a bad movie though...
Cheers,
Gary

 

[Paul_Medenwaldt]

Its been a couple years since i've seen this movie so my memory of what excactly happens in the movie is fuzzy, but all I remember is that I hated this movie. I usually don't use the word hate when I describe movies, but Eye of the Beholder ranked IMO with Vegas Vacation and Batman and Robin.

Eye of the Beholder seemed to me 10 different movies edited together to make one film or if your reading a book and you read every other chapter. It was a very choppy film and it didn't make much sense.

Paul

 

[Jacob_St]

According to IMDB the European version has additional scenes in it. Maybe that version is the directors cut. I think this is one of the better films of 2000.

 

[Josh_Hill]

Uhhh....it was released in 1999.

 

[Jacob_St]

It was released in January of 2000 here in the states. Since I live and watch films in the U.S. I consider it a 2000 film.