Disturbia (2007)

good movie

The movie was a very good one.
The product's quality is very high and didn't have any problems with it. November 4, 2008

Disturbia

I enjoyed this movie which tells of a Teen boy being put on home parole. He sees the neighbor doing suspicious things and sets out to somehow prove it. November 3, 2008

Expect more Hormones than Scares

Those looking for the serious slasher pic suggested by the previews, be warned: The most shocking scene in disturbia occurs in the first 10 minutes.

Overall - teen hormones feature more prominently than blood and guts, and voyeurism and the accessibility of technology almost play greater thematic roles than murderous next door neighbors. All of this doesn't mean disturbia is not worth watching. On the contrary, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it, and you may be as well.

Shia will be onscreen almost constantly, so you have to be able to enjoy, or at least have no problems tolerating, his patented brand of befuddled charm. Being thoroughly familiar with the electronic accouterments of a modern teen's lifestyle will also help you 'get' this movie. Sarah Roehmer adds some sizzle as the hot girl who moves in next door and David Morse doesn't have to try too hard to turn in a decent performance as the villain.

Good production, good chemistry and a fun script make disturbia a winner, just don't expect a scarefest. DVD includes making of, outtakes, and a VH1-esque pop-up video setting that quizzes you on pop-culture references and influences (kind of fun actually).
October 16, 2008

A fairly solid effort. I liked this movie.

D.J. Caruso, like many modern-day film directors, must obviously hold the legendary Alfred Hitchcock in high esteem. You would have to have been sequestered in a cave your entire life or be totally blind to miss all the many creative liberties Mr. Caruso has taken with the Jimmy Stewart classic, "Rear Window," to assume anything less. Having said that, however, I still must say I enjoyed this movie far more than I previously anticipated. Christopher Landon's screenplay, while somewhat predictable, still manages to throw enough surprises at you through its performances.

The aspiring Shia LaBeouf takes front and center stage here as young troublemaker, Kale Brecht. Kale, when he's not spying on his neighbors or causing fire and brimstone to rain down all around him, is actually quite the average and overall likeable kid. With the tragic death of his father serving as the motivation behind his unfortunate scuffle with a high school teacher, Kale has landed himself a three month house arrest. It is during this excruciating stretch that he begins to suspect his next-door neighbor might actually be the same elusive serial killer he's been following on the local news.

That's honestly the main story, right there. I will kindly refrain from spoiling anything further for those who still have yet to see this for themselves.

Now, I may normally not adhere to this type of film. But I was very pleasantly entertained. The clever nods to Hitchcock, as I've already mentioned, along with the collective contributions by La Beouf and David Morse, are what really helped hold my attention. This, plain and simply, is the sort of movie you watch with friends on a Friday night. It's not going to win over the gore hounds or those looking for grindhouse style shocks. This is PG-13 mainstream quality fare, at best. But it's also a motion picture I can freely admit I had fun with.
September 30, 2008

Lively and fun, but not great

Disturbia takes a good while before anything interesting happens. Not that that is a flaw, but when we finally get to the good stuff, we find it's really not all that good. It is not suspenseful, and certainly not surprising. It is as predictable as you can get, yet I still found myself enjoying it.
Perhaps it's because of the uber talented Shia Labeouf. He is a hugely capable young actor who conforms well to any role he plays. In Disturbia, you really get a sense of who his character is and you can't help but like him. He puts 100% into this film and I think that is why the film works as well as it does.
I also really wish they used Carrie-Anne Moss more in this film. I really like her as an actress and would have loved to see more of her in this. All in all, a decent popcorn film, but not terribly thriller like or suspenseful. Also, the blooper reel is sadly lacking. It almost seems like a pointless tease. September 29, 2008

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