Disturbia - A Movie Review

Come here and look at this. Something’s going on at our neighbor's house.

Disturbia is a 2007 film. Following an incident, Kale is on house arrest. With nothing to do except watch his neighbors, he suspects that one of his neighbors is up to no good. Can he investigate further even if he is confined to one location?

The more films I see, the more Rear Window is copied as a trope. Making creative changes, I like how Disturbia manages to only take place in one setting. Disturbia is a good concept, and it is funny, but it overdoes it with the thriller angle in the climax.

Both living a dream and in a nightmare, I liked the way Shia LeBeouf plays this role. Doing anything that he pleases while on house arrest, Kale has all the time in the world. He eats a lot. And when he is not eating, he makes an entire tower out of twinkies. It is impressive.

Aside from eating, he mostly takes the time to people-watch. Overall, LaBeouf’s emotional performance was done well. Kale’s grief is a relatable aspect of his character.

None of the characters had a lot of depth. They play the usual side character tropes in thrillers. You have the mom, the crazy best friend, and the girl next door. Oh yes, and the villain living across the street. You can never forget them.

I feel bad for Sarah Roemer (Ashley). She is a good actress, but she was only used for sex appeal. Ashley had so much promise. Where does she go when Kale inspects the house? It’s like writers forget about her. Ashley could have gone with Kale when he breaks into the house.

Disturbia realistically presents teenagers. Ronnie (Aaron Yoo) is Kale’s crazy friend who likes goofing around. Even he is not used to his fullest potential. Playing with the usual teenage tropes, of course, Kale doesn’t get along with his mom (Carrie-Anne Moss).

Recognizable faces appear in Disturbia. Viola Davis has a memorable appearance as a detective. Other credits include David Morse, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Matt Craven, and other ensemble members starring as people who lived around the neighborhood. You never know what kind of neighbors you have until you really pay attention.

The film is predictable. I like the originality of how Kale is not allowed to leave his house. We also feel trapped too. The house arrest offered creative ideas. Kale inspects the distance of how far he can leave his house, sometimes having to stretch out his body so the alarm won’t activate.

Disturbia was not met with critical acclaim. The studio was sued due to how similar the plotline was to Rear Window and also using it without permission.

D.J. Caruso should have made the film more original. Though, I will give him credit for the camera angles. Caruso should have examined the see and don’t tell outfit more. There were also unnecessary sequences that were better to hear about instead of witnesses.

For example, we didn’t need the scene with Kale and his father in the beginning. Speaking of which, the loss of Kale’s father is an integral part of the story and yet it’s forgotten. I’m not sure how much we needed this subplot as it’s only touched on in a couple of scenes.

You should still watch Disturbia. It’s a good thriller. I didn’t notice until after but there’s no gore to speak of. It relies on tension which strengthens the horror. Find Disturbia on HBO. You may create your own twinkie tower after.