I really don't know how I feel about this one. I mean, on the one hand, it was a pretty typical outing for circa 2007 Shia LaBeouf who, even then at the "height" of his career, was turning in performances that were capable though not very compelling. Pair that with a story that doesn't really seem to know what it wants to be, and so overcompensates by being too much of everything: Mystery, teenage "romantic" comedy, coming of age tale and genuine thriller/horror. Add in some mediocre acting by many of the supporting players and you get a movie that just doesn't seem to ever really take flight.On the other hand, there are genuine moments, few and far between as they may be, where the movie does accomplish what it sets out to be. Both in terms of it's individual aims (see list above) as well as the over arching feel I believe it is trying achieve by weaving them all together. Amidst the heavy sighs and eye rolls, I found myself more caught up in what was happening to the characters than I expected. Sometimes this suspension of skepticism would last long enough for me to ask myself "is this actually good?", right before something overblown or heavy handed would happen to snap me back into the disappointing reality.So, is this a good movie? Is it a bad movie? I could probably make a case for either position, in fact I kinda just did in the previous two paragraphs, but ultimately I think this one is gonna depend on the mood of the viewer and the atmosphere of the viewing. One day, one person might think it is great and another day another person might hate it.I guess this isn't really a bold statement since it could easily be applied to just about any movie, but it's what I've got today.My best recommendation would that anyone who finds the premise of this film interesting should really check out Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 masterpiece Rear Window. It's everything that Disturbia want's to be and more.

This is a tough one to review. On the one side I remember really enjoying this as a smart little teen thriller back in my youth. Re-watching it now, it's far too clichéd and problematic to withstand any real thrills. Do I score this based on the time it was released, or how badly it's dated? We shall see. A grieving and troublesome boy is put under house arrest where he lives his daily routine by spying on his neighbours, a new girl on the block on one side and a potential serial killer on the other. You could class this as a modernised version of Hitchcock's famous 'Rear Window', it does indeed pay homage to this in a few subtle ways. The slow build up of suspense and tension is well crafted, much like 'Rear Window'. The first half is focussed purely on building up the protagonist, the second then descends into thriller territory. Do the two marinate? Not consistently. It does feel like you are watching two different films. A comedic light hearted teen flick then contrasts with a dark suspenseful thriller. I understand why, to show that any neighbourhood no matter how pleasant the exterior seems does indeed hold ominous secrets. In this case, a murdering psychopath. Separately these two halves work really well and are thoroughly enjoyable, although filled with mediocrity. They just don't blend together. Shia LaBeouf actually gives a decent lead performance. David Morse and Carrie-Anne Moss needed way more screen time, although the former was very menacing. Unfortunately, director DJ Caruso was too focussed on filming Sarah Roemer's ass and having fans blow into the actor's faces just to blissfully move their hair in a gentle breeze to care about the technical aspects of the film. The cheap alt-rock soundtrack, the forced romance which amounts to nothing in the final act and lack of character development. The whole film felt mediocre, but still pleasantly enjoyable. It's a weird one this, but I'm in a good mood so will grant it with the higher score. Entertaining but far too many flaws.

Really starts out good. I even cheered at one scene at the beginning. Somewhere around the middle of the movie, it all starts going downhill. Unnecessary and very cheesy romantic situations, logic plot holes big enough to fly a death star through, characters just behaving odd. The last 15 or 20 minutes or so only work if every single one character behaves as stupid as possible on every single occasion. Carrie-Anne Moss' character is totally underdeveloped. While her son is going through a lot of pain, there never seems to be a hint of her feeling anything similar about the situation. I just changed the rating from 4 to 3 while writing this. I better stop before it drops even lower.

'Disturbia' is a solid, entertaining thriller that does exactly what it says on the tin. Whilst it's nothing new or special, it is well made, suspenseful and effective in building and sustaining tension.Shia LaBeouf and David Morse deliver solid performances as Kale and villain Mr Turner. Their characters are interesting and unpredictable and work well with the theme of the film. 'Disturbia' is well paced, the developments are appropriately timed and the film does a good job at keeping you guessing.All in all, a perfectly decent mystery thriller. One of the better ones I have seen of late, and one I would recommend.