SIGHT -- A Tepidly Inspirational Flick

Review by Adam Donato

Angel Studios has seen success as of late. The Chosen, a series about the life of Jesus Christ, had its episodes playing in theaters. Sound of Freedom was one of the highest-grossing movies of last year. Their model is reminiscent of the success Blumhouse has seen. They found an audience that would see their movies, no matter the quality, just because they had a penchant for the genre. What Angel Studios does is more sinister, believe it or not. Having the filmmaker talk to the audience during the credits and ask them to scan a QR code so they can donate more money to the movie is crazy. If people want to give extra money to the film because the contents of the story inspire them so, that's their right to do so. It's not illegal to ask patrons for more money, but it sure is slimy. 

Sight is the latest entry in the filmography of Angel Studios. It tells the real-life story of Dr. Ming Wang, who is a world-class eye surgeon. A young girl whose mother purposely blinded her by pouring acid into her eyes comes to Dr. Wang looking for a miracle. As Dr. Wang struggles to help her, he remembers his troubled past on his journey to become a doctor. The film cuts back and forth between his current work and his backstory. It's not unlike the Mamma Mia! sequel, where the backstory is much more compelling than what's going on in the present day. The present-day story feels obligatory and dragged out. It's way more interesting to see how the Wang family got out of the trouble going on in Communist China and how Dr. Wang got through school. The only thing that happens in the present day is conversations with Greg Kinnear who plays his coworker friend.

The tone is overly dramatic and desperately tries to tug at your heartstrings. Terry Chen from Almost Famous stars as Dr. Wang and is unconvincingly stressing out during the present-day scenes. Kinnear has attempts at humor as well as Dr. Wang's brother, played by Garland Chang. The jokes are just lame and unfunny. The story is less controversial than Sound of Freedom, but it's just as dull. The movie runs for a hundred minutes but feels more like two hours. It's ironic because the director's last film was called The Blind, so this kind of subject matter is clearly in his wheelhouse. It's a chore to sit through for anyone who doesn't buy into what Angel Studios is selling. 

At the end of the day, it feels mean to diss an innocent little movie that's trying to inspire people. After all the crap that Angel Studios has pulled, it's easy to be cynical about their releases. The type of people who pay to see Angel Studios fans won't know the difference. They'll really enjoy being moved by this story about trying to save children from being blind. As long as people are buying tickets to the theater, then it's not the worst thing... whether or not people are actually sitting in those seats being purchased.

Sight hits theaters on May 24.​

Rating: 2/5