Disturbia
Before I went to watch this movie I had pretty much just heard two things, it was a remake of Hitchcocks Rear Window, but for teens that became a surprise US box office smash. So excuse me if a shudder ran down my spine as I entered the cinema in anticipation of another butchered re-hash of a classic. But I was pleasantly surprised by what the stupidly-titled Disturbia had to offer. It clung relatively loosely to Hitchcocks original; the house-bound hero was, instead of an injured photographer, a teenage boy named Kale under house arrest - played admirably by Shia LeBeouf. Kale is thrust into our faces at the start of the film as the kid with an idyllic suburban life who tragically loses his father and goes off the rails a bit. (Dont miss the scene where he punches his Spanish teacher out of the blue!) Whilst stuck in his house his mother cuts off his X-Box 360 and disables his iTunes (I squirmed mildly at the surfeit of early product placement). Without these modern necessities he is forced to resort to the voyeuristic exercise of spying on his neighbours, one of whom he suspects is a serial killer, and another who is his hot new neighbour and romantic interest, for entertainment. The plot is simple and, in places, corny. But the crazy parties, zany antics and low-brow humour were far rarer and more carefully woven into the plot than I feared from the touted teen element of the movie, and I chuckled to myself at the random array of influences director D. J. Caruso displayed. Just one example of was a scene in which our heros obligatory kooky sidekick takes a video camera into the home of the suspected serial killer, which peaks in a cheeky little allusion to The Blair Witch Project. Im sure I also saw a bit of Halloween in the melee too, particularly in the fight scenes, which were impressively intense much to the credit of the cast. The film also attempts to include social commentary and, lets be frank, regardless of whether you want that sort of stuff rammed down your throat or not, youve got to respect a film thats branded a Hitchcock-based thriller for teens and manages to get in a little intelligent commentary! Kale and his co-voyeurs use of mobile phones, video cameras and the internet in their serial killer hunt brings home to us just how easy its become to watch other people. And the ability for a serial killer to go unnoticed in suburbia clearly critiques the docile, blithe manner in which its privileged inhabitants go about their lives. Nonetheless the commentary skates across the surface, and feels more like it is included to detach the film from the time and locale of its Hicockian predecessor than the writers and director weaving their own vision. All in all Disturbia is not a bad little film, it appropriates a good chunk of the suspense from its original master creator as well as throwing in a liberal dose of Hollywood horror techniques, lightened up with some toned-down teen humour. But even accounting for this pleasing fusion I wasnt wholly satisfied. It felt more like a collage of films Id already seen than a shiny new piece of cinema. It was fun, but just wasnt that memorable. Personally, Id advise you only to watch it if youre fairly unenthused by any other cinematic offerings that head your way. Rating: rating: 2.5