At First Sight

reviewed by Vivian Rose, age 14, from US

"At First Sight" is an arguably mediocre film. Yes, it stars Val Kilmer, and yes, it's definitely better than "Batman and Robin", were you couldn't see most of his face for a good portion of the movie.

For a good part of "At First Sight", Virgil (Val Kilmer) can't see anything. Blind since the age of three, Virgil now works as a masseuse at a spa. On a much- needed vacation, Amy (Mira Sorvino) reluctantly visits the spa, meets Virgil, and falls in love with him. Soon she brings him back to her home in New York and convinces him to see a doctor who may be able to surgically restore Virgil's sight. Although the surgery is successful, Virgil suddenly has a lot more problems than he did when he was blind. Having lost his sight at such an early age, he doesn't know what he's seeing; not surprisingly, his relationship with Amy becomes strained. Also, a non-relationship with his father, who walked out on his family when Virgil was eight and magically reappears when he hears that Virgil's sight is restored, becomes a less than fascinating subplot. "At First Sight" wasn't impressive. The acting was commendable and the plot was, if not transfixing, mildly interesting. Although I thought the ending was appropriate and showed some intelligence on the part of the screenwriters, I found it too predictable. And, I was disappointed with how the subplot about Virgil's father was resolved- there was no character development on his father's part. Lastly, Virgil's romance with Amy, touted as the film's main selling point, seemed less important than the previews made it out to be. I guess that there were so many confusing issues in this film that the romance just became buried in all the confusion. A more neatly constructed plot would have added to "At First Sight".

My rating: 2 stars

Rating : PG-13 (for scenes involving sexuality and nudity, and for brief strong language)

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