Keep an eye on Morse

Rating: 6/10 (7 September 2009)

DISTURBIA is a youth-oriented version of Hitchcock's REAR WINDOW. We have already had two youth-oriented versions of REAR WINDOW, namely FRIGHT NIGHT and MIMIC 3. But so be it. A good plot never wears thin. Shia L. plays a kid under house arrest with little to keep him occupied. So he starts spying on his neighbors, one of whom, played by David Morse of CONTACT and HACK fame, may be a serial killer. At least, Shia's character thinks so. He enlists the aid of a pretty newcomer to the neighborhood (Sarah Roehmer) and one of his school buddies (Aaron Yu) to try and trip the guy up. Morse is appropriately sinister and menacing. Shia does his best with a role that largely confines him to one room. This PG-13 film has its moments, and will best appeal to a young crowd. Adults, beware.