Terrifying.

Rating: 10/10 (16 April 2007)

In a world where technology rules all, "Disturbia" fits right on in. Kale is your average seventeen-year-old, who just so happens to have been put under house arrest for assaulting his Spanish teacher. He's distant from his mother, has only one close friend, and finds his days at home becoming increasingly dull. He has a tracking device around his ankle, preventing him from going further than one hundred feet from his house. With little to do (as a result of his mother canceling everything from his iTunes account to his XBox), Kale takes to spying on his neighbors, who lead very different lives from what most might think. Especially Mr. Turner, who Kale suspects, is a serial killer. With the police not believing him and his mother thinking he's just acting out, Kale enlists the help of his best friend Ronnie, and the new girl next door, Ashley, to further prove his suspicions.
I'd been following the progress of this film since I first heard about it some months ago. I thoroughly enjoyed the film "Rear Window" and assumed this would be a great take on the same story. People think of "Disturbia" as a remake, or a rip-off, when in actuality, it's not. "Disturbia" is it's own film, and it's a damn good one at that! Shia LaBeouf will definitely surprise you; clearly, he's grown up since his days on "Even Stevens". All around, the acting is great. Sarah Roemer plays Ashley, the hot-to-trot girl, who's just moved in next door to Kale. She, along with Kale's friend Ronnie (hilariously played by Aaron Yoo; honestly, he's the definition of what comic relief should be) help Kale sift through Mr. Turner's life, and discover what he's really hiding. David Morse is excellent here as Mr. Turner, he's hulking, intimidating, and absolutely horrifying; but he doesn't show his "psychotic side" until the last parts of the movie. Just watch for the scene in which he runs into the character of Ashley in a parking deck; it'll have you in complete shock.
Granted, I would have liked to have seen a little more of Carrie-Anne Moss' character, but her delivery of Julie (Kale's mother) was excellent. She was caring and sweet, just like a real mother. The film also has it's fair share of scares, with various tension-filled stalk sequences, and action scenes that would put Michael Bay to shame, this film does no wrong. The sets are beautifully put together. It's funny, as Kale's room reminds me of my own room in so many ways.
Is it original? No. Is it a fun film, that will never leave you bored? Yes. With a classic, slow-build, characters you actually care about (I was all for the relationship between Kale and Ashley) and a last act that will have you on the edge of your seat, "Disturbia" is definitely a film for fans of the genre to check out.