Cameron Crowe’s 2001 sci-fi thrillerVanilla Skyis far from a forgettable movie, but not many people know the star-studded film is actually a remake – and it pales in comparison. Witha cast as talented asVanilla 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 beyondVanilla Sky.
At the time of writing,Open Your Eyesis available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
Abre Los OjosorOpen Your Eyes, directed by Alejandro Amenábar, is the Spanish 1997 original that predatesVanilla 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 crashthat 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 theCameron Crowe-directed remake.
Open Your Eyes Was Much Better Than Tom Cruise’s Vanilla Sky
Contrary toOpen Your Eyes’ high 82%Rotten Tomatoesscore,Vanilla Skyonly managed to get 42% positive reviews. It’s unsurprising, given thatOpen Your Eyesdelivers 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 thatVanilla Skybrings, and while the cinematography in Cruise’s remake was unarguably beautiful, the story’s philosophical themes hold more weight inOpen Your Eyes’ less-polished aesthetics.
With a larger focus on the conspiracy than its predecessor,Vanilla Skyanswered questions that weren’t essential to the message of the story.
Vanilla Skyalso lacks the ambiguity that madeOpen Your Eyesas impactful as it did. With a larger focus on the conspiracy than its predecessor,Vanilla Skyanswered questionsthat weren’t essential to the message of the story. It dove deeper into the sensationalistic “Life Extension” company and ignored the darker psychological aspects thatOpen Your Eyesexamined.Vanilla Skyis, without a doubt, a significantly more palatable movie, but that doesn’t mean it’s better.
How Vanilla Sky Changes Open Your Eyes' Story
Broad appeal seems to beVanilla Sky’s biggest problem. The two stories are nearly identical, with just small nuances lessening the remake’s impact. For example, while both movies are non-linear,Open Your Eyesuses this storytelling device to confuse the audience in time with Cesar– with unanswered questions and ambiguity layering each scene and plotline.Vanilla Sky, however, simplifies the complexity, driving home explanations and keeping the audience in the loop. Both movies peak intrigue, butVanilla Skyfails to evoke the reality-bending immersion of the original.
When Vanilla Sky’s Reality Ends (& Which Scenes Are Dreams)
Vanilla Sky has a winding narrative of flashbacks and events that may or may not be dreams. What’s real and what’s imagined isn’t easy to uncover.
One of the biggest changes toOpen Your Eyes’ story is the treatment of the characters.Vanilla Sky’s star-studded cast seems to work to its detriment, as the Hollywood urge to make David a “redeemable” character takes away from the purposely flawed nature that made Cesar’s journey interesting. Additionally, the connection between the protagonist and his new love interest is made out to be fated inVanilla Sky, whereas it’s more natural inOpen Your Eyes. These small nuances take away the realism from a movie about reality, and soOpen Your Eyeswas, unfortunately, lost in translation.
