The slightly suspenseful “Disturbia” takes the model of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic “Rear Window” and thrusts it into the 21st century with the use of new technological gadgets such as video cameras and cell phones.
A year has passed since Kale’s (Shia LeBeouf) father died in a car accident, and the teen has since had trouble in school. One day after losing his temper, Kale assaults his Spanish teacher and is sentenced to three months of house arrest – just six months before he turns 18.
As additional punishment, Julie, Kale’s mother played by Carrie-Anne Moss, took his X-Box, iTunes and television away. Confined to the house with nothing to do, Kale finds himself using binoculars to spy on his suspicious-looking neighbor Ronald Turner, actor David Morse. Kale thinks Turner is responsible for a number of killings in his area.
LeBeouf begins to believe Turner is a suspect after noticing unexplainable occurrences around Turner’s home, such as a bloody stain on the fender of his Mustang.
Kale, his classmate and his neighbor team up to spy on Turner.
Overall, “Disturbia” was much better than expected. The actors did a great job considering the acting normally seen in horror films. Despite low expectations going into the film, viewers will come out enjoying it.
Although the previews don’t give any reference to Hitchcock’s classic, the similarities are obvious from the first frame. But director D.J. Caruso does a great job of differentiating the film just enough to make it more enjoyable than “Rear Window.”
The movie has several scenes that will make audience members jump. The appeal of the movie is that it was scary without all the scenes containing gruesome killing and the use of gory weapons. Some blood was shown but not equivalent to that in traditional horror flicks.
So yes, if you like suspense, you will like “Disturbia.” The movie was not only scary but was funny as well. It was amazing how Caruso showed the ways in which technology could be used as an advantage. Kale used different modern devices such as Web cams, cell phones and video cameras to spy on Turner.
The movie never had a dull moment, and the entire audience was always involved. The movie’s steady pace always left viewers with something to look forward too. The house arrest angle of “Disturbia” was a good idea for the plot of the story. It added more twists because it left LeBeouf with limited amount of movement to spy on Turner, as opposed to a broken leg.
LeBeouf is on his way to becoming a great actor. He does an excellent job as Kale.
The only flaw the movie has is the uncanny ability of Turner being able to see Kale from such a large distance. It took away from the authenticity of the movie.
“Disturbia” is a great movie for adults who want to relax yet still get some laughs and jumps all at once. But if you are the type of person who enjoys scary movies with blood and guts, this is not for you, so save your money.
