...a decent thriller that follows the genre pretty closely, although I wish it hadn't concluded in such an obvious manner.
When the heat is finally turned up, the reward is not as great as I had hoped and I feel the closing moments of the film are not as fulfilling as the rest of the film. Caruso quickly moves "Disturbia" into a typical horror-movie showdown between protagonist and villain, and when the serial killer meets his demise, it doesn't feel as well-crafted as the rest of the film. The film didn't end as well as I would have liked, but it was a good ride and well done. Shia LaBeouf is going to be a star, and this is the first time he was truly able to flex his acting muscles. Along with director D.J. Caruso, they have made a very effective thriller. Sarah Roemer is a lovely young lady and was more than just eye candy throughout the film. Veterans Carrie-Anne Moss and David Morse were also effective in the film. I've certainly seen better thrillers in my days, but this is one of the better ones in the past couple of years. 7/10
The Film According to John:
Either something disturbing is going on in suburbia, or there are some very disturbed people in suburbia. Maybe a little of each.
Like Jason and Dean, I liked much but not all of "Disturbia." I liked the first three quarters of the film best but found myself disappointed at the concluding scenes. I liked the suspense most of all, the times in the film when we didn't know or understand what was really going on. For me, the scariest and, thus, most interesting parts of a mystery, horror movie, or thriller are the things we cannot see, rather than the things we can. So, when LaBeouf's character is wondering what his neighbor is up to and starts prying around his house, those were the best times for me. Once the filmmakers revealed things and the story moved on to its inevitable showdown, it turned rather routine and carried a lot less weight.
I also liked the idea that any supposedly peaceful neighborhood could harbor dark secrets. I mean, the world is filled with murderers, serial killers, hit men, mobsters, rapists, thieves, child molesters, sadists, drug dealers, and drivers who insist on going ten miles an hour over any posted speed limit and then getting annoyed when you don't. These individuals are legion, and they have to live somewhere. Sure, you probably know the folks who reside on either side of you well enough, but how about those people down the street, the couple whose lights go off at seven o'clock every night, the "accountant" who never leaves his house, and the quiet guy who claims he's a retired English teacher? Do you really think you know them?
Basically, as Jason and Dean have pointed out, "Disturbia" is a remake of "Rear Window," only this time with an eye toward a younger audience. This means that not only does the movie follow the standard formula for a thriller, it follows the standard recipe for a young-adult movie as well. The three heroes are all high school age, and they're all attractive: Kale (Shia LaBeouf) handsome, his best friend Ronnie (Aaron Yoo) cute, and the new girl next door, Ashley (Sarah Roemer), beautiful and sexy. The adults, naturally, are throwaways, ciphers one can dispense with as nearly useless. Kale's Spanish teacher and the teacher's cousin, a policeman, are jerks. Kale's mother doesn't listen to him and doesn't understand him. Ashley's parents quarrel, and the father is having an affair. Which leaves only the mysterious Mr. Turner, who may be a serial killer. So, the movie satisfies the younger audience by catering to their worst fears about anyone over thirty.
The movie is rather slow developing, the first quarter being wholly devoted to Kale's going a little loopy locked up in the house for three months without a TV or an Internet connection and becoming a voyeur out of sheer boredom; it's an entertaining exposition. The second quarter shows us Kale's meeting Ashley and their blossoming relationship; it's sweet but goes on a bit too long. The third quarter develops the main conflict, and it's here that we get the best and most satisfying results. And the fourth quarter details the unfolding of the plot's consequences. Frankly, it was really only the third quarter I thought was outstanding, and if I were making this film, I would have concentrated more of my efforts there, on the creation of tension and suspense. But do they ever ask me? 6/10
Video:
Paramount transferred the movie to HD DVD via MPEG4 encoding, preserving its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The 1080 resolution makes itself apparent from the outset in a scene with Kale and his dad fishing in a stream, with a blue sky and white clouds overhead. It is quite stunning. Delineation is good throughout most of the movie, although there are times when the picture looks a tad soft. Facial hues are mostly realistic, too, except in a few instances where they appear a bit too dark or too over-contrasted. The colors are bright, without being excessively glassy or cartoonish; in other words, they look very natural. What's more, like other new movies, the screen is clear and free of dirt, noise, or grain, the latter not necessarily a benefit. A nice video presentation altogether.
Audio:
The English audio comes in two flavors: Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 EX and DTS-EX 6.1. I listened for a while to each and chose the DTS track to continue the movie, as it seemed marginally the cleanest (although, to be fair, the DTS track is also about four decibels louder, which means that unless you adjust for it, it can be misleading). I found the DTS bass taut, the stereo spread wide, and the dynamics strong, with plenty of impact. The opening car crash will knock you out of your seat even with the volume turned down. The audio engineers have balanced the midrange dialogue well with the rest of the sonic spectrum, so you can always hear what the characters are saying. Oddly, though, for a thriller the surrounds don't get much of a workout, except in various ambient enhancements.
Extras:
There's a fair share of extras on the disc, most of them pretty ordinary but made more enjoyable by their being in high def. First up we have the mandatory audio commentary by the director, D.J. Caruso, and stars, Shia LaBeouf and Sarah Roemer. They are quite informal and conversational, and Caruso does most of the talking. Then there are four deleted scenes totaling about four minutes, made up mainly of Kale and his mother (HD), followed by about a minute and a half of outtakes (HD). The fifteen-minute, behind-the-scenes featurette, "The Making of Disturbia" (HD), contains just about what you would expect of these things. Then there's something called a "Serial Pursuit Trivia Pop-up/Quiz," where trivia facts pop up on the screen during the movie. I have no idea where the "Quiz" part comes in. And there is a four-minute music video, "Don't Make Me Wait," by This World Fair (HD), followed by a photo gallery.
Things wind down with eighteen scene selections but no chapter insert; a widescreen theatrical trailer (HD); English, French, and Spanish spoken languages; English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese subtitles; pop-up menus; and an indicator of elapsed time.
Parting Thoughts:
"Disturbia" is a decent thriller that follows the genre pretty closely, although I wish it hadn't concluded in such an obvious manner. The suspense works best, and there are a few scenes that keep us on the edge of our seat. But once the script reveals the plot machinations, which comes much too soon for my liking, and the mayhem begins, things sink fast. I would have preferred more subtlety and less overt action.
The Film According to John:
Either something disturbing is going on in suburbia, or there are some very disturbed people in suburbia. Maybe a little of each.
Like Jason and Dean, I liked much but not all of "Disturbia." I liked the first three quarters of the film best but found myself disappointed at the concluding scenes. I liked the suspense most of all, the times in the film when we didn't know or understand what was really going on. For me, the scariest and, thus, most interesting parts of a mystery, horror movie, or thriller are the things we cannot see, rather than the things we can. So, when LaBeouf's character is wondering what his neighbor is up to and starts prying around his house, those were the best times for me. Once the filmmakers revealed things and the story moved on to its inevitable showdown, it turned rather routine and carried a lot less weight.
I also liked the idea that any supposedly peaceful neighborhood could harbor dark secrets. I mean, the world is filled with murderers, serial killers, hit men, mobsters, rapists, thieves, child molesters, sadists, drug dealers, and drivers who insist on going ten miles an hour over any posted speed limit and then getting annoyed when you don't. These individuals are legion, and they have to live somewhere. Sure, you probably know the folks who reside on either side of you well enough, but how about those people down the street, the couple whose lights go off at seven o'clock every night, the "accountant" who never leaves his house, and the quiet guy who claims he's a retired English teacher? Do you really think you know them?
Basically, as Jason and Dean have pointed out, "Disturbia" is a remake of "Rear Window," only this time with an eye toward a younger audience. This means that not only does the movie follow the standard formula for a thriller, it follows the standard recipe for a young-adult movie as well. The three heroes are all high school age, and they're all attractive: Kale (Shia LaBeouf) handsome, his best friend Ronnie (Aaron Yoo) cute, and the new girl next door, Ashley (Sarah Roemer), beautiful and sexy. The adults, naturally, are throwaways, ciphers one can dispense with as nearly useless. Kale's Spanish teacher and the teacher's cousin, a policeman, are jerks. Kale's mother doesn't listen to him and doesn't understand him. Ashley's parents quarrel, and the father is having an affair. Which leaves only the mysterious Mr. Turner, who may be a serial killer. So, the movie satisfies the younger audience by catering to their worst fears about anyone over thirty.
The movie is rather slow developing, the first quarter being wholly devoted to Kale's going a little loopy locked up in the house for three months without a TV or an Internet connection and becoming a voyeur out of sheer boredom; it's an entertaining exposition. The second quarter shows us Kale's meeting Ashley and their blossoming relationship; it's sweet but goes on a bit too long. The third quarter develops the main conflict, and it's here that we get the best and most satisfying results. And the fourth quarter details the unfolding of the plot's consequences. Frankly, it was really only the third quarter I thought was outstanding, and if I were making this film, I would have concentrated more of my efforts there, on the creation of tension and suspense. But do they ever ask me? 6/10
Video:
Paramount transferred the movie to HD DVD via MPEG4 encoding, preserving its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The 1080 resolution makes itself apparent from the outset in a scene with Kale and his dad fishing in a stream, with a blue sky and white clouds overhead. It is quite stunning. Delineation is good throughout most of the movie, although there are times when the picture looks a tad soft. Facial hues are mostly realistic, too, except in a few instances where they appear a bit too dark or too over-contrasted. The colors are bright, without being excessively glassy or cartoonish; in other words, they look very natural. What's more, like other new movies, the screen is clear and free of dirt, noise, or grain, the latter not necessarily a benefit. A nice video presentation altogether.
Audio:
The English audio comes in two flavors: Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 EX and DTS-EX 6.1. I listened for a while to each and chose the DTS track to continue the movie, as it seemed marginally the cleanest (although, to be fair, the DTS track is also about four decibels louder, which means that unless you adjust for it, it can be misleading). I found the DTS bass taut, the stereo spread wide, and the dynamics strong, with plenty of impact. The opening car crash will knock you out of your seat even with the volume turned down. The audio engineers have balanced the midrange dialogue well with the rest of the sonic spectrum, so you can always hear what the characters are saying. Oddly, though, for a thriller the surrounds don't get much of a workout, except in various ambient enhancements.
Extras:
There's a fair share of extras on the disc, most of them pretty ordinary but made more enjoyable by their being in high def. First up we have the mandatory audio commentary by the director, D.J. Caruso, and stars, Shia LaBeouf and Sarah Roemer. They are quite informal and conversational, and Caruso does most of the talking. Then there are four deleted scenes totaling about four minutes, made up mainly of Kale and his mother (HD), followed by about a minute and a half of outtakes (HD). The fifteen-minute, behind-the-scenes featurette, "The Making of Disturbia" (HD), contains just about what you would expect of these things. Then there's something called a "Serial Pursuit Trivia Pop-up/Quiz," where trivia facts pop up on the screen during the movie. I have no idea where the "Quiz" part comes in. And there is a four-minute music video, "Don't Make Me Wait," by This World Fair (HD), followed by a photo gallery.
Things wind down with eighteen scene selections but no chapter insert; a widescreen theatrical trailer (HD); English, French, and Spanish spoken languages; English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese subtitles; pop-up menus; and an indicator of elapsed time.
Parting Thoughts:
"Disturbia" is a decent thriller that follows the genre pretty closely, although I wish it hadn't concluded in such an obvious manner. The suspense works best, and there are a few scenes that keep us on the edge of our seat. But once the script reveals the plot machinations, which comes much too soon for my liking, and the mayhem begins, things sink fast. I would have preferred more subtlety and less overt action.
Average user rating (1-5):
[release]21498[/release]