Rating: 
Summary: Simply incredible....
Review: If you like films that keep you guessing until the end, you'll LOVE this Spanish film. The editorial review gives as much a synopsis of the plot as possible, to give you more of the story would be unfair. It is only after the last 5 minutes of the film that you realize exactly what's going on - but the ride there will keep you enthralled. It is one of the best psychological thrillers I've ever seen, taking you deep into the twisted "reality" of a disfigured man (Eduardo Nuriega), haunted by his love for the beautiful Sofia (Penelope Cruz at her finest!) But if you think this is a film that just depicts a man dealing with disfigurement, you've only touched the surface. I found myself thinking about this film days after watching it the first time, and now after having seen it at least 5 times it still invokes questions inside of me on some of the deeper aspects of life. "What is successs, beauty, love and happiness?", "Who would we be and what would we do if everything was taken away from us?". In the end, I analogize this movie to a lesson on reincarnation. Think of that during the last 60 seconds of the film...as you find yourself covered in goosebumps. Buy this film, because you'll want to watch it at least twice. (I'm anxious to see the remake of this film, "Vanilla Sky", starring Tom Cruise)
Rating:
Summary: A GEM!!!
Review: I was never that much into movies, but this one REALLY GOT TO ME. Ignore the comparisons, they are ALL TOO UNFAIR. "Abre los ojos" has definitely created a class of its own. I'm writing this because no review I've read as of yet has mentioned that this film really means something different to every viewer, to every audience also. Yes, there's a love story, there's thrill, there's science fiction, but what makes this film special is that all the sequences are presented in a way that allows you to piece-up your own story and conclusion, and that really makes it a "MUST-HAVE". I rate this a "5-Star Movie" because it's NOT TRENDY, and it's so good that while you're watching it you don't even think about Penélope Cruz or Eduardo Noriega, you're looking at SofÃa and César. It's almost 2hrs long, but I wish it would have been five times that. "ABRE LOS OJOS" has moved me to start a DVD collection with it! ;-)
Rating: 
Summary: An icy,suspensful film
Review: While I wouldn't classify Open Your Eyes (Abre Los Ojos) under the thriller genre by any means, this film kept me glued to the screen,and certainly gave me a good scare or two. And when the whole thing was over I actually found myself dissapointed because viewing this film for the first time is such a thrilling,suspensful journey- this film does not for one minute let you in on whats going to happen next. Not giving anything away, I'll say that the film involves a young man named Cesar (Eduardo Noriega) who seemingly has it all. Looks,money,girls,friends-until a devastating car accident plotted by a psychotic ex-girlfriend sends him into a mental and emotional hell.Meanwhile, he has fallen in love with Sophia(Penelope Cruz,loads of charm), and the fate of their relationship becomes unknown. I believe that whatever genre of movies you prefer, you can still enjoy Open Your Eyes.It's incredibly original, and will keep you on the edge of your seat-I guarantee. All the way through, the film manages to be both detached, in the sense you're never really sure what's going on-but it adds personal,humane touches which is what makes Abre Los Ojos a truly unique film experience. Definately worth a viewing. It doesn't really have a big moral, or a huge point to make, its basically just questioning and asking you to come along for this wholly entertaining,well thought out, thrilling ride. What does it question? See it to find out.
Rating:
Summary: Open your eyes to a brilliant film.
Review: Alejandro Amenabar's "Open Your Eyes (Abre Los Ojos)" operates on the notion that dreams and reality walk hand-in-hand down the path of life. It deals with elements of psychological bliss and disturbance in ways reminiscent of Hitchcock and "The Twilight Zone," evoking a tone of constant underlying dread that remains in the mind long after the movie's earth-shattering climax. This isn't a thriller in the traditional sense, but its thought-provoking plot is a testament to Amenabar's superb storytelling capability. The film begins normally enough by introducing us to César (played by Eduardo Noriega), a wealthy man with popularity and good looks tucked under his sleeve. He's got a best friend, Pelayo (Fele MartÃnez), who takes pleasure in chiding him about his involvement with the persistent Nuria (Najwa Nimri), who simply won't take no for an answer when it appears that César has lost interest in her. His birthday party marks the start of a new relationship with the lovely and high-spirited Sofia (Penélope Cruz), yet his reservations about moving too fast with her further infuriate Nuria, who offers him a ride back to his apartment the following morning only to run the both of them down a hillside into a wall. The accident leaves Nuria dead and César badly injured, with facial scars untreatable by his physicians, who try to convince him of the risks involved in attempting to return his face to its former state. His disfigurement is a burden to him, as well as to Sofia and Pelayo, who find discomfort not in his looks, but in his downtrodden attitude and outlook on his future. Noriega captures this lapse in emotion quite wonderfully, while also sharing a great chemistry with Cruz which keeps us involved with the romantic aspect of the story as well as the forthcoming mystery. The movie soon reaches a point where everything seems to change... César finds himself in the arms of Sofia, sharing a love he never thought possible; his doctors have come up with a solution to his facial scars, restoring his face back to its handsome look. Everything seems to be going quite well for him, until one night he finds Nuria in his bed and his happy life turned upside down by his friends, who persist in telling him that this woman he clearly despises is Sofia. The story is good at keeping its audience at bay for information and twists, casting us into a darkness so that César's confusion and delirium soon becomes our own as well. His struggle to recover the clues that will solve the mystery behind his life's sudden downfall is intriguing and effectively induces thought among viewers, who will no doubt find themselves recalling clues, piecing together scenes and characters, lines of dialogue and different objects César has come in contact with. It's all a sense of mystifying wonderment, and Amenabar is able to lay on plot twist after plot twist at just the right pace so that we hunger for more. Your acceptance of the movie's final resolution ultimately depends on your willingness to suspend disbelief, as well as your scrutiny. It begs its audience to question its intentions, to ask why certain events have come to pass, why certain characters thought to be dead have come back to haunt César; I think most people will be inclined to ask one question (SPOILER ALERT): If César has been creating his own world, then why does he torture himself with his past? This is a question the movie doesn't answer forthright; perhaps it is better left unanswered, as it most likely will take away from the impact the final twist will have. As I finish this review, I still find myself perplexed by the complex nature and stunning array of twists and surprises that Amenabar supplies his film with. As I watched the film, I found myself straying away from its conclusion, but upon further thought, I realize that it serves the purpose of tying the film together in a manner that does justice to the story that leads up to it. I still have my reservations about the nature of César's final state of mind, but the effectiveness of the overall film easily makes it a minor flaw.
Rating:
Summary: Better than Vanilla Sky
Review: Like many in the English Speaking world, I saw Vanilla Sky without realizing that it was the American Remake of the Spanish movie Abre Los Ojos. Once I discovered that, I saw the original. WOW! Typically, Hollywood takes a terrfic non-English language movie and the remake, while glitzierlacks the itensity of the original. It maeks you wonder why Vanilla Sky was even made (aside from making money!) The acting and emotions in the original movie were much better than in Vanilla Sky- even with sub-titles! It is quite interesting, seeing Vanilla Sky first, as it's essentially the same story, except in New York instead of Madrid. Penelope Cruz plays Sofia in both movies, whcih adds to the interest- seeing her do in English and the US what she had done four years earlier in Spain!
Without repeating the story line of both movies (essentially- how can you tell a dream from reality?)-given a choice A between the two nmovies, Abre Los Ojos is the best one- though I liked Cameron Diaz as Julie in Vanilla Sky better than the woman who played Nuria in Abre Los Ojos- but otherwise the Spanish movie runs circles around Vanilla Sky. This is quite typical of foreign movies when compared to their Hollywood "remakes" Don't waste your time or money on Vanilla Sky , unless you wish to compare them
Rating:
Summary: Increases emotion and suspense inch by careful inch.
Review: Alejandro Amenabar's "Open Your Eyes (Abre Los Ojos)" operates on the notion that dreams and reality walk hand-in-hand down the path of life. It deals with elements of psychological bliss and disturbance in ways reminiscent of Hitchcock and "The Twilight Zone," evoking a tone of constant underlying dread that remains in the mind long after the movie's earth-shattering climax. This isn't a thriller in the traditional sense, but its thought-provoking plot is a testament to Amenabar's superb storytelling capability. The film begins normally enough by introducing us to César (played by Eduardo Noriega), a wealthy man with popularity and good looks tucked under his sleeve. He's got a best friend, Pelayo (Fele Martínez), who takes pleasure in chiding him about his involvement with the persistent Nuria (Najwa Nimri), who simply won't take no for an answer when it appears that César has lost interest in her. His birthday party marks the start of a new relationship with the lovely and high-spirited Sofia (Penélope Cruz), yet his reservations about moving too fast with her further infuriate Nuria, who offers him a ride back to his apartment the following morning only to run the both of them down a hillside into a wall. The accident leaves Nuria dead and César badly injured, with facial scars untreatable by his physicians, who try to convince him of the risks involved in attempting to return his face to its former state. His disfigurement is a burden to him, as well as to Sofia and Pelayo, who find discomfort not in his looks, but in his downtrodden attitude and outlook on his future. Noriega captures this lapse in emotion quite wonderfully, while also sharing a great chemistry with Cruz which keeps us involved with the romantic aspect of the story as well as the forthcoming mystery. The movie soon reaches a point where everything seems to change... César finds himself in the arms of Sofia, sharing a love he never thought possible; his doctors have come up with a solution to his facial scars, restoring his face back to its handsome look. Everything seems to be going quite well for him, until one night he finds Nuria in his bed and his happy life turned upside down by his friends, who persist in telling him that this woman he clearly despises is Sofia. The story is good at keeping its audience at bay for information and twists, casting us into a darkness so that César's confusion and delirium soon becomes our own as well. His struggle to recover the clues that will solve the mystery behind his life's sudden downfall is intriguing and effectively induces thought among viewers, who will no doubt find themselves recalling clues, piecing together scenes and characters, lines of dialogue and different objects César has come in contact with. It's all a sense of mystifying wonderment, and Amenabar is able to lay on plot twist after plot twist at just the right pace so that we hunger for more. Your acceptance of the movie's final resolution ultimately depends on your willingness to suspend disbelief, as well as your scrutiny. It begs its audience to question its intentions, to ask why certain events have come to pass, why certain characters thought to be dead have come back to haunt César; I think most people will be inclined to ask one question (SPOILER ALERT): If César has been creating his own world, then why does he torture himself with his past? This is a question the movie doesn't answer forthright; perhaps it is better left unanswered, as it most likely will take away from the impact the final twist will have. As I finish this review, I still find myself perplexed by the complex nature and stunning array of twists and surprises that Amenabar supplies his film with. As I watched the film, I found myself straying away from its conclusion, but upon further thought, I realize that it serves the purpose of tying the film together in a manner that does justice to the story that leads up to it. I still have my reservations about the nature of César's final state of mind, but the effectiveness of the overall film easily makes it a minor flaw.
Rating:
Summary: why did Vanilla Sky even happen???
Review: Like most reviewers, I saw "Vanilla Sky," the American remake of this film, long before I saw "Abre Los Ojos." After finally seeing the original version, I'm left absolutely bewildered why anyone thought that it needed to be remade to begin with. This is a truly beautiful film. Wonderfully acted and written, and done with a fittingly modest budget. Granted, it's not in english, but I don't think the average viewer is as turned off by that as Hollywood seems to think. (How many copies of "Amelie" were sold in the US??? It's probably more to do with poor marketing than actual hatred of "reading" films.) I will not get into a sprawling review of the film, as there are many reviews already posted which do so adequately enough. Just take my advice, if you found even a little in "Vanilla Sky" that you liked, and yet found it to be a deeply flawed film (as I did), give this version a try. It is a much more complete and well constructed film than "Vanilla Sky" ended up being. Far superior, in my opinion.
Rating:
Summary: Very good (Bien escrito y hecho)
Review: I saw _Vanilla Sky_ first, but it did not cloud my judgment on ABRE LOS OJOS. What a great film: metaphysics and psychology in a mesmerizing thriller. I cannot recommend this strongly enough. Vi _Vanilla Sky_ antes de ver ABRE LOS OJOS, pero eso no me confundió en cuál fue la mejor película: ABRE LOS OJOS. Es tan buena película, mezclando la metafísica y la psicología en un film lleno de intriga. La recomiendo mucho.
Rating:
Summary: penelope is great
Review: Everything about this wonderful film has been said in the other reviews. It is much better than the American copy and it is a pleasure to hear Penelope's beautiful castillian. Also in this movie one sees a lot more of her great figure than in later films after she became famous.
Rating:
Summary: Come here when 'Vanilla Sky' confuses the heck out of you
Review: 'Abre Los Ojos' - or 'Open Your Eyes' - is Spanish director's Alejandro Amenábar's master work. Amenábar is famous here in the United States for his subsequent work with Nicole Kidman in 'The Others,' but he first burst into international prominence as the writer and shaper of the wildly inventive 'Ojos.' And that caught the attention of the international film set, including director/screenwriter Cameron Crowe and Tom Cruise. They re-shaped the 1997 release of Madrid-based 'Ojos' into 2001's NYC-based 'Vanilla Sky'. Without getting into a lengthy blow-by-blow comparison of the two releases, let's just say that anyone who sees the original after the re-make has the same comment: "I really wish I had seen the original first." Exactly. It's the far superior film. Crowe/Cruise add nothing to it, and in fact seem to have suceeded only in totally confusing or frustrating their audience. Although I should point out that Cameron Diaz is really brilliant in 'Sky' as the doomed femme fatale, far better than Najwa Nimri, who played the same role in 'Ojos.'
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