I don't know how everyone can jump on Sarah Roemer's performance. It's not like she had much to work with and was there more as eye candy than anything else. She did her best with what she was given and definitely wasn't terrible.

A wonderful, creepy, entertaining thriller. David Morse was sooo creepy.

B+

B+, entertaining and fun. Will still be remembered in 2025 as Shia's breakthrough film.

Who's Shia?

B


Overall, I liked it. It was, however, somewhat different from what I have expected. I expected a teen thriller story. In fact, however, the whole thriller plot only really kicks in during the movie's final third. For the first two thirds of the film it is more of a teen comedy/romance. It actually reminded me of The Girl Next Door for some (obvious) reasons. That said, I actually enjoyed those two thirds. It was funny and Shia LaBeouf surprisingly didn't annoy me, much rather he did his job pretty well. His friend, the comic relief worked pretty well too.

The thriller section of the movie was solid, but nothing overwhelming. David Morse made a good villain. Though everything happening in the film was utterly predictable, I had my share of fun watching the events unfold. I don't quite understand the big financial success it has had in the US, but it is a good time waste definitely.

Disturbia is the perfect example of why advertising and watching critic shows like Ebert & Roeper, sometimes bug me. I tried to wipe what little I had from memory about the movie going in, but I knew in that in the first five minutes, Shia's character's father dies. Now granted, this isn't the biggest deal in the world, but I think the first five minutes of this movie would've been ten times more effective if you didn't know that was coming. Even though the shock is still somewhat there when it happens, it's slightly ruined from what we already know.

Other than that, I'd say the first two third's of this film are pretty damn good. I enjoyed how they used Shia's room, and the claustrophobic feeling we get since we pretty much never leave there - like his character. I also enjoyed the chemistry the three teenage leads had together. Every scene they're in doesn't feel forced. They all seem like naturals, especially Shia. If Transformers didn't spell it out in big letter for me, Disturbia did. Shia is going to be a star, and Indiana Jones 4 will all the more likely enhance that, unless he is god awful.

I also like how there is next to zero tension during the first 70 minutes or so. This is especially helped by the party scene. I thought that was really well done.

Yet oddly enough, I think the film kind of loses it's track once we get to the thriller aspect. Don't get me wrong, there are a couple of good scares here, and I really liked David Morse, but it kind of goes over the top. Kind of. Not enough for me to knock down my grade a lot, but enough from keeping this anywhere near my top ten.

A-

Enjoyable, but admittedly not a great movie at all. Almost indefensible.

Did have some great real-estate porn (what did these people DO for a living?) and I enjoyed the Rear Window concept expanded to basically be 360 degree peeping out of any window imaginable.

But predictable to a fault and meaningless. Only a success because none of the principals chew too much scenery.

Nobody cares about the poor dead cop!

Disturbia was a nice suprise. It's charming and very entertaining. Definately one of the better movies this year and Shia wasn't half as annoying as expected. In fact, I'm becoming a fan of him after this and Transformers. B+

The first 2/3 is pretty solid. Entertaining, tense.

But the story moves way too quickly heading into the last act. Once the mom goes into David Morse's house, the film turns from restrained and creepy to run-of-the-mill thriller, and from there it spins out of control.

I also think the film loses something in not really developing any sort of mystery in regards to what's going on at the neighbor's house.

But overall, not bad at all. Consistently creepy, and pretty fun.

B-

Oh and Carrie-Anne Moss with long hair looks a lot like Elizabeth Mitchell.

Its turned into one of those films that I can watch pretty much anytime it is on tv but would never consciously seek it out. Like Top Gun or City Slickers.