can't compare to the original

Rating: 5/10 (5 December 2005)

Vanilla sky is OK, but it can't compare to the original, Abre los Ojos. Abre los ojos was very dark and edgy, while vanilla sky leaves a more bland taste in the mouth of the viewer. The acting is superb in Abre los ojos with Eduardo Noriega in the lead and Penelope Cruz as Sofia. Tom cruise can't handle the material like Noriega and Cruz's second time through as Sofia lacks the mysteriousness that she had in the Abre los ojos. Cruise almost comes off as a good guy in vanilla sky, where noriega was better at appearing like a spoiled jerk whom the audience didn't really like. It worked better for the story that way. Jason Lee seems oddly out of place as Cruise's best friend here and it is a hitch in the execution of the film. Obre los ojos was a mysterious masterpiece, while vanilla sky is a mild, reheated surprise.