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PrintDisturbia isn't as disturbing as one might think
Teen version of Rear Window is a letdown
It seems a prevailing theme is today’s pop culture to do re-makes: usually a scrappily redone version of something older. We see it in the clothes that are now in style, the songs that are being re-sung, and the movies that are being remade. Disturbia, starring Shia LaBeouf, Sarah Roemer, Carrie-Anne Moss, and David Morse, is one of those remakes. The DreamWorks/Paramount Pictures thriller is directed by D.J. Carus.
Does anyone remember Rear Window, the Hitchcock thriller from the mid-50’s, starring James Stewart and Grace Kelly? Well, Disturbia is basically a teenage version of the Hitchcock classic, complete with another blonde love interest—not that Sarah Roemer is any comparison to Grace Kelly.
Rear Window was a story of a photographer who recently broke his leg and is therefore housebound and helpless, with nothing better to do than spy on the neighbors in his apartment complex, which, while giving an amusing insight into the human condition, also seems to turn up significant evidence pointing toward one of them being a serial killer. As always, masterfully executed cinematography by Alfred Hitchcock, crescendoeing suspense, culminating in a cathartic and comical closing scene. Disturbia slightly modifies the theme: instead of an injured photojournalist, there is a distraught teen, recently bereft of his father, and under house arrest.
The cinematography of this movie wasn’t great; there were scenes that didn’t seem to transition smoothly, or flow together in terms of ideas and setting. The acting, of course would never be on par with the Stewart and Kelly performances, but even with these expectations I found the delivery wanting. LeBeouf was only believable when shouting, and the romance between he and Roemer was almost comical. At some points the script left the audience hanging, like in the end when the protagonist is walking through the killer’s pitch black basement, calling out “MOM?!?!? .........MOM?!?!?!?!,” very weakly.
An overall predictable storyline, and not only because it was a remake. When you figure that the best part of the movie was the supporting role of the best friend, it makes you question why you were there at all. Disturbia also went in more of a horror direction towards the end, whereas Rear Window stayed thriller all throughout.
I give this movie three stars because I felt it wasn’t a good enough remake to merit a trip to the theatres and nine dollars down the drain. Disturbia also went in more of a horror direction towards the end, whereas Rear Window stayed thriller to the end.
