Not just a "Rear Window" knockoff!

Rating: 8/10 (19 June 2010)

I am not a fan of remakes. By and large, I don't think they serve a purpose. If I wanted to watch the same movie over and over again I'd watch the original. I don't need to keep paying twelve bucks to see it "re-imagined". That being said, I wasn't too impressed when I saw the trailer for "Disturbia".
Though not technically a remake, I was all but ready to write it off as a "Rear Window" knockoff and, in truth, that's exactly what it is. However, it's a very good "Rear Window" knockoff. Now what surprised the hell out of me was when I ended up liking "Disturbia" better than the Hitchcock classic.
What made "Disturbia" better? Well, I think it comes down to sheer entertainment value. I was more entertained while watching "Disturbia" than I was while watching "Rear Window". Plain and simple.
I have a respect for classic films but they have an entirely different pacing than today's. "Rear Window" is a slow cooker, it takes a long time to build up the suspense but by the time it finally delivers, it's a case of "too little too late". "Disturbia" manages to keeps its audience entertained throughout and offsets the suspense with some very humorous moments while never losing sight of the type of movie it truly is, a thriller.
I'll admit, I'm not a fan of Shia LaBeouf. In fact, most of the time I can't stand the guy but he's actually pretty good here. So if I can watch this and like it as much as I did without liking the actor who plays the main character then anyone who either likes LaBeouf or is at least indifferent to him should have no problem enjoying this movie.
Overall, I'd definitely have no problem telling anyone who hasn't seen this to check it out. For those who have seen it, I'd recommend watching it again. It's good!