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Too much of everything

Crappy film

A Masterpiece!

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

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.

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.

I wouldn't classify this as a horror movie, more of a modernized Hitchcock film. The suspense and tension slowly build, and Shia LaBeouf is perfectly cast. I can't imagine anyone else but him in the role of Kale. It's a shame that LaBeouf's career appears to have stopped for the time being, because I really like him in this movie, his performance is very close to what I imagine a teenager put in this situation would be like. It manages to be creepy, but in a PG-13 environment, which is certainly unheard of nowadays. It may have a few jump-scares, and David Morse is about as subtle as a sledgehammer to your face, but I like the concept and the execution. But seriously, could Morse be anymore obvious? Like, I know in the beginning it's supposed to be circumstantial evidence against him, but his mannerisms and creepy behavior is so out there, that it's painfully obvious he's the killer. The jump-scares and obvious antagonist aside though, the film is very well executed. It's short, sweet, entertaining, and an interesting concept.

Director D.J. Caruso isn't a bad Filmmaker but is not Great by any means. He occasionally makes interesting Films like "The Salton Sea" (2002) and "Taking Lives" (2004). But "By the Numbers" most of the time. This is one of those.No surprises, not much Style, and conspicuously cute, this is a rather tame take on Hitchcock's "Rear Window" (1954) by way of "Teen Romantic Angst". Shia Labeouf is a nervous, hyper-active Actor that has attained Star Status way beyond His ability to transform or "Act" like anything more than what He is. One Role is the same turn as another.Here He is upstaged on every level by David Morse, if not everyone else, who does just what the Script calls for and nothing more. The Buddy Sidekick is annoying most of the time and the pretty "Girl Next Door" is pretty smart but the Chemistry between the Teens is nothing short of standard stuff and Clichéd.The Movie meanders along with one scene melting into the next until commonplace and complacency sets in and all of sudden the Third Act wakes from its comatose state and erupts in a frenzied finale that is all over the place and never settles in a coherent display of what is happening.The Film is Slightly Overrated and a bland, borderline boring Psychological Thriller that never quite thrills or goes very deep into the Mind of the Killer. Young People who don't have very much Film Going Experience may find it more entertaining than others. But it is just too safe and saccharine for its Own Good and is never intriguing or intense. Just another exercise in Standard Stuff Movie Making.