Astounding soundtrack, and not a bad film either (minor spoilers)

Rating: 6/10 (11 January 2003)

While ultimately Vanilla Sky is not as good as Abre Los Ojos (the Spanish film on which it was based) it is still a very entertaining and though provoking film. Tom Cruise continues to surprise with his choice of roles, and he turns in another excellent performance as David Aames. Penelope Cruz and Jason Lee do not disappoint either as David's love interest and best friend respectively.
The film does manage to top the original in some areas too, particularly the now famous dream sequence in a deserted Times Square, which is far more effective than a similar scene in Abre Los Ojos. The way in which Crowe builds on the 'dream-world' concept by using pop culture references (a Bob Dylan album cover, characters from To Kill A Mockingbird) when creating David's fictional world is also fantastic.
However, despite all this, Vanilla Sky does have some annoying flaws. Julie Gianni, the character played by Cameron Diaz, does not actually appear all that insane or overbearing, making it difficult for the viewer to understand why Cruise rejects her in the first place, nevermind that this rejection would make Julie crazy enough to try and kill herself.
Also, the ending of Vanilla Sky (unlike that of Abre Los Ojos) does feel a little spoon-fed, as if Crowe (a very mainstream director) believes that the audience should not be left to figure out anything for themselves. This is a disappointing conclusion to what is otherwise a very thought provoking film.
Where this film's greatest triumph lies however is in the soundtrack, which is quite simply astounding. Much is made of Cameron Crowe's ability to pick out exactly the right song for the moment, and rightly so on this evidence. REM, Sigur Ros, Peter Gabriel, Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, Leftfield and Bob Dylan all appear and the selection, along with their positioning in the film, is absolutely flawless.
So, 10/10 for the soundtrack but only 7/10 for the film, which is unfortunately just not as good as Abre Los Ojos. Do try and see both films though, it'll be well worth your while.