Disturbed by Disturbia....and not in a good way

Rating: 3/10 (21 September 2007)

I'm kind in forgetting Disturbia isn't original because it's just another drawback in a list of bad things this soulless, predictable, poorly directed film has going for it.
Is it unfair of me to mention Rear Window - Alfred Hitchcock's (the maestro of suspense) perfect thriller about a man who believes his neighbor killed somebody - the film Disturbia tries to update for the 21st Century, mobile phone-using, Ipod-listening, internet-using audience that craves, believe it of not, American Pie turned into a Silence of The Lambs meets The 'Burbs. I'd say it isn't unfair because the filmmakers should have watched Rear Window over and over and over again to find out just exactly how to make a thriller work.
The film itself is poor from execution right through the actors to the script. It takes 40 minutes for anything to happen and then the finale is rushed and predictable. The other problem is how the themes of loss and the protagonist's psychological struggle after his father's death is an afterthought to the house arrest set-up and his infatuation with the beautiful neighbor.
It's all just badly judged and makes the much better remake of The Hills Have Eyes, The Saw sequels, and Wrong Turn look like bona fide modern day classics.
My advice: watch for free, or don't watch at all.