Cameron Crowe’s 2001 sci-fi thriller Vanilla Sky is far from a forgettable movie, but not many people know the star-studded film is actually a remake – and it pales in comparison. With a cast as talented as Vanilla Sky’s, featuring Tom Cruise as the protagonist with Penélope Cruz and Cameron Diaz in supporting roles, it’s hard to believe that the movie could disappoint. Living up to the source material is a hard task for any remake, and unfortunately, it was beyond Vanilla Sky.
At the time of writing, Open Your Eyes is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
Abre Los Ojos or Open Your Eyes, directed by Alejandro Amenábar, is the Spanish 1997 original that predates Vanilla Sky. Similar to its successor, the sci-fi psychological thriller follows the womanizing protagonist as he tries to make sense of his confusing reality following a car crash that leaves him disfigured. The movie was released to majorly positive reviews, with critics praising the complexity and depth of the film. This, however, was not the case for the Cameron Crowe-directed remake.
Open Your Eyes Was Much Better Than Tom Cruise’s Vanilla Sky
Custom image by Milica Djordjevic
Contrary to Open Your Eyes’ high 82% Rotten Tomatoes score, Vanilla Sky only managed to get 42% positive reviews. It’s unsurprising, given that Open Your Eyes delivers the story in a much darker and more introspective tone, with the message benefiting from it. The original film works better without the classic Hollywood sanitization that Vanilla Sky brings, and while the cinematography in Cruise’s remake was unarguably beautiful, the story’s philosophical themes hold more weight in Open Your Eyes’ less-polished aesthetics.
With a larger focus on the conspiracy than its predecessor, Vanilla Sky answered questions that weren’t essential to the message of the story.
Vanilla Sky also lacks the ambiguity that made Open Your Eyes as impactful as it did. With a larger focus on the conspiracy than its predecessor, Vanilla Sky answered questions that weren’t essential to the message of the story. It dove deeper into the sensationalistic
This 1997 Sci-Fi Movie Was So Much Better Than Tom Cruise’s Hollywood Remake
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