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

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 “Life Extension” company and ignored the darker psychological aspects that Open Your Eyes examined. Vanilla Sky is, 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 be Vanilla 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 Eyes uses 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, but Vanilla Sky fails to evoke the reality-bending immersion of the original.

One of the biggest changes to Open 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 in Vanilla Sky, whereas it’s more natural in Open Your Eyes. These small nuances take away the realism from a movie about reality, and so Open Your Eyes was, unfortunately, lost in translation.