Disturbia
DreamWorks SKG | Release Date: April 11, 2007
7.9
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 369 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
274
Mixed:
70
Negative:
25
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User scoreBy dateMost helpful
5
CharlottePApr 13, 2011
Somewhat promising at the outset but sadly it degenerated rapidly into a completely generic, implausible Hollywood thriller. Carrie Ann Moss as someone's mother? How the mighty are fallen.
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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5
JasonE.Jun 6, 2007
Very early impressions: Oy. Shia's brash approach to this character is already grating on me within the first five minutes. He's too brash, loud, and strongly NYr present...he even wears the toolish of all tool T-shirts, Very early impressions: Oy. Shia's brash approach to this character is already grating on me within the first five minutes. He's too brash, loud, and strongly NYr present...he even wears the toolish of all tool T-shirts, ("Ramones") ('Guideto Recongnizing...too omnipresent in his blood) in the first fishing scene. Craven plays it with twinkling Irish eyes...Shia's acting if he's got something to prove. Imagine Kal Penn's bravado faux toughness, caretaker vibe in 'H & Kumar.' Oh no, the accident...Let's pour our hearts out. Only his lost puppy dog-eyes bail him out of the early scenes where he must play weak. He's stuck on house-arrest, where's his porn collection? Even Mom is totally casual-cool, 'sorry you're a felon...' I grew up in the wrong household. Rest: A by-the-books story that nonetheless pleases when it indulges its cheap, sullied, low-rent thriller pulpy origins that are a Caruso specialty. Too bad it's hampered by its PG-13 rating, it should have been dirtier. Poor Morse, doomed to always play morally ambiguous creepazoids. (Even Von Trier could not resist.) However, its silly 'house-arrest' subplots and lack of honest emotional characterization made this an annoying downer for me.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
MarieMAug 12, 2007
This is sort-of Rear Window-ish if you kind-of close your eyes and don't know anything at all about the other movie. It's fun to watch but more gruesome than scary. There are glimpses of how clever it could have been but they wussed out.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
MichaelL.Apr 16, 2007
Yikes. I guess smart suspense films are a thing of the past. Hitchcock would be supremely insulted to know this mindless muddle is being compared to his brilliant "Rear Window". Okay, there are a few neat little scares, and some nail-biting Yikes. I guess smart suspense films are a thing of the past. Hitchcock would be supremely insulted to know this mindless muddle is being compared to his brilliant "Rear Window". Okay, there are a few neat little scares, and some nail-biting moments of suspense, but man, can't we get a plausible plot, too? Holes you could drive a Hummer through... And what's up with Sarah Roemer imitating a Playboy bunny rather than a kid? What a really creepy movie this could've been--with a bit more intellectualism, a bit less 16-24 demographic pandering, and a few coherent plot twists.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
DWillyApr 29, 2007
This would have gotten a 7 if the ending hadn't been so bad; an 8 if it had kept up with what it had going at the beginning... Alas. Still, this Shia kid is fun to watch as was the babe up until they pull the rug out from you and turn This would have gotten a 7 if the ending hadn't been so bad; an 8 if it had kept up with what it had going at the beginning... Alas. Still, this Shia kid is fun to watch as was the babe up until they pull the rug out from you and turn what was a thriller into a slasher.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
4
PatrickC.May 7, 2007
It is boring. David Morse is over the top. The movie tries to be suspensful but leaves you in your sit waiting for suspense. But Shia LaBeouf is the movie's saving grace. He is very good and plays the troubled teen well. But the film is It is boring. David Morse is over the top. The movie tries to be suspensful but leaves you in your sit waiting for suspense. But Shia LaBeouf is the movie's saving grace. He is very good and plays the troubled teen well. But the film is over all not worth the time or money.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
WilT.Apr 19, 2007
A decent movie, don't expect anything earth shattering, but it's interesting and kept me entertained. Though I should point out, it's not a "horror" movie per say, but more like a drama/thriller. One quick thing to note is A decent movie, don't expect anything earth shattering, but it's interesting and kept me entertained. Though I should point out, it's not a "horror" movie per say, but more like a drama/thriller. One quick thing to note is that if you don't like unrealistic movies, then don't watch this one, because this whole drama could have been avoided had the protagonist just called the police like any normal person.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
Rev.R.Apr 27, 2007
Our rich vocabulary allows a pithy description of the first hour: slow! However, moving into the latter third of the film we are enlightened. We discover that Hitchcock was a master of terror, as this remake of Rear Window pales in comparison.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
4
KenGMay 17, 2007
Since Hitchcock is one of the greatest directors movies have ever had, and "Rear Window" was one of his greatest films, it's really not fair to condem this movie because it's not as good as "Rear window", as a lot of people seem to Since Hitchcock is one of the greatest directors movies have ever had, and "Rear Window" was one of his greatest films, it's really not fair to condem this movie because it's not as good as "Rear window", as a lot of people seem to want to do. The fact is, on its own terms, this movie is a clumsy mess, with a script that was in need of a major rewrite.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
4
JasonJ.May 29, 2007
This movie and it's premise have been made before. One of the movies that this movie rips off is called Fright Night. Oh, sorry, this ones a serial killer and the other one was a vampire that killed people. Are we really running out of This movie and it's premise have been made before. One of the movies that this movie rips off is called Fright Night. Oh, sorry, this ones a serial killer and the other one was a vampire that killed people. Are we really running out of ideas as a culture? How sad. Hey, I have an idea... how about a movie with teenagers getting killed in a cabin out in the woods? Later.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
JoeT.Jul 22, 2007
Just gradually loses its creative energy as the movie goes on, and falls on tired suspense genres clinches. By the end, it's a tired B-movie slasher flick. Too bad. The first 30 minutes or so had a lot going for it.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
4
PeterJul 22, 2007
Eyes are large for the box office and small for truth in this teenage exploitation flick. Now lets see his father dies in a motor accident in the most gruesome way you could imagine. He then punches out his school teacher, is then found Eyes are large for the box office and small for truth in this teenage exploitation flick. Now lets see his father dies in a motor accident in the most gruesome way you could imagine. He then punches out his school teacher, is then found guilty of a assault and sentenced to 3 months house arrest. He's living next door to a hot babe, Oh and by the way his other neighbor is a serial murderer. All of this could work if the director wasn't such a lame. Caruso ends up turning this into a pathetic teen romance and nothing is said about the emotional scaring of such events on young lives. No ambiguity, no looking into the heroes eyes and feeling for him. Movies like this can be enjoyed if you can discipline yourself from thinking. But I guess that is very much the modern American film industry.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
giuliaSep 22, 2007
One week ago I went to this seneak preview thing , you know, where you don't know which movie they will play. and mostly its rubbish. and this time it was disturbia. and of course it wasn't brilliant or anything like that. but it One week ago I went to this seneak preview thing , you know, where you don't know which movie they will play. and mostly its rubbish. and this time it was disturbia. and of course it wasn't brilliant or anything like that. but it was decent enough to be not much of a disappointment. its okay. Nothing more.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
AMovieCriticApr 16, 2007
Takes a bit too long to get going. I liked the attempt to set up characters but they really needed to get to the point faster. And whenever it seemed to be building up momentum it lost it again on more "banter" and it just got a bit old. Takes a bit too long to get going. I liked the attempt to set up characters but they really needed to get to the point faster. And whenever it seemed to be building up momentum it lost it again on more "banter" and it just got a bit old. It's a lot more intelligent than your average teen thriller and features one of the best and most shocking car wrecks I've seen in a movie, and once the suspense does kick in, the movie's a blast. It just takes a bit too long to get there. It's a lot slower and funnier than I had hoped it would be. Jokes seemed to be fired at the audience as frequently as in a comedy, and while some humor is good in a movie like this, I think there was a point when the jokes needed to stop, but they just kept coming. That said, though, it's a fun, smart teen thriller whose biggest problem is that it just takes too long to get to the part that the audience is all waiting for. Will make a fun rental; not necessarily worth seeing in the theater.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
MarkB.Apr 18, 2007
In David Mamet's recent, witty examination of what's right and (mostly) wrong with Hollywood, Bambi vs. Godzilla, the famous playwright/ screenwriter/ director describes a certain type of movie that's best enjoyed by entering In David Mamet's recent, witty examination of what's right and (mostly) wrong with Hollywood, Bambi vs. Godzilla, the famous playwright/ screenwriter/ director describes a certain type of movie that's best enjoyed by entering the theater 15 minutes late. If not for the truly spectacular, scary and imaginatively shot car crash that sets the events in motion, Disturbia would fit Mamet's bill perfectly. The movie needs to have its high school hero Kale (Shia LaBeouf) placed under three month house arrest, wearing one of those ankle devices that confines him to home and yard, but the circumstances contrived by screenwriters Christopher Landon and Carl Ellsworth (and "contrived" is EXACTLY the right word) are so obviously and unbelievably designed to make Kale's crime as understandable as possible that Landon and Ellsworth don't just rupture themselves devising them--they all but send themselves to the emergency ward! (Since in the course of the movie our hero is going to become more sympathetic anyway as he endeavors to finger a neighbor who might be a serial killer, what's wrong with the script getting him incarcerated within his home by having him commit a truly criminal, indefensible act--so that his reformation really counts for something?) While we're at it, let's lop off the LAST 15 minutes, too--an uninspired, derivative trip through boogety-boogety land that requires the heretofore intelligent villain (David Morse) to suddenly behave in a completely illogical manner after it's been made obvious that up to this point he was holding all the winning cards. What's in between Disturbia's highly dodgy beginning and end, however, is a pretty terrific hour or so of entertainment...but not for the reasons the filmmakers apparently think. Once you get past the contrivance of Kale's mom (Carrie-Anne Moss) being out of the house at highly irregular times for sheer plot convenience (until she becomes a third-act chess piece, she might just as well be one of those trombone-voiced offscreen adults in the Peanuts TV specials), Disturbia becomes a very solid little vest-pocket character study with Kale growing in responsibility and finding his place in the world even though he's been geographically restricted to a very, very small part of it. LaBeouf, who was so impressive in Holes as a kid in not just a pickle but a whole vat of them, is equally excellent here, and is matched by Sarah Roemer, an offbeat beauty who plays the girl next door that Kale probably wouldn't have gathered the confidence to talk to had he not been confined. While piecing together clues, they don't just form a tentative romance...they build a friendship, and Disturbia's most effective suspense involves not knives or body parts but the question of whether Roemer's chic but slightly insecure Ashley will conform to what's socially expected of her or step outside the box. The main interior set is visually impressive and complex (Kale never does quite manage to clean his room!) and the sound effects work is truly extraordinary: the high echo blend of fire engines, cats, dogs, traffic, faint music and other sounds of summer at night is simultaneously evocative and creepy. Too bad the movie's technical excellence and the winning performances of LaBeouf and Roemer (whose conversations are so natural they not only seem partly improvised but add to the movie's subtext of electronic invasion by giving us the impression that we're spying on something private and intimate) go for absolutely naught because Disturbia feels bound to adhere to its genre: what plays for awhile as a sort of millennial, home-school update of The Breakfast Club ends up coming off as not much more than the latest installment of Friday the 13th Part-Whatever-The-Hell-They're-Up-To-By-Now.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
4
ChrisCApr 26, 2007
A good premise gone terribly wrong. A promising idea is plagued by poor pacing and characters impossible to believe. The main character suspects the killer for absolutely no reason, and just happens to be right. Way too much time is spent on A good premise gone terribly wrong. A promising idea is plagued by poor pacing and characters impossible to believe. The main character suspects the killer for absolutely no reason, and just happens to be right. Way too much time is spent on the obligatory-seeming teen romance to the point that all of the good aspects of the movie are obscured.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
PeterJ.Dec 21, 2007
Good movie. Nothing more, nothing less. The chick in the movie kept me watching :)
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
KentuckyWindageJan 4, 2013
People giving this a high rating is baffling. I did enjoy it to an extent because Shia LaBeouf is a likable actor and the girl next door is good eye candy but as a thriller of any kind it is pretty flat. The plot has more holes in it than aPeople giving this a high rating is baffling. I did enjoy it to an extent because Shia LaBeouf is a likable actor and the girl next door is good eye candy but as a thriller of any kind it is pretty flat. The plot has more holes in it than a second hand dartboard, examples being not phoning the police when he sees the car with damage to the wing and also a prolific methodical serial killer who kills people with the lights on and curtains open as well as suddenly attempting to kill half of the neighbours on the street when he does not have to. It all comes down to poor lazy writing. If compared to a classic like Rear Window it is way short of that quality.… Expand
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6
csw12Feb 9, 2013
Disturbia is a tense movie for what it is. None of the characters add anything to the film. A movie that is good, nothing more, nothing less and very forgettable.
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5
DoehlApr 21, 2012
There are plenty of jolts to be found within the suspense techniques, but the way the film exploits **** cliches is as stale as bread left out for a year.
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6
Voodoo123Sep 27, 2020
Remake of the classic hitchock movie rear window. Shia is engaging as a 'teenager' in this thriller / teen movie. Unfortunately the production plays it safe here with a reluctance in the edit to allow the tension to build to a substantialRemake of the classic hitchock movie rear window. Shia is engaging as a 'teenager' in this thriller / teen movie. Unfortunately the production plays it safe here with a reluctance in the edit to allow the tension to build to a substantial enough level to ever truly make the viewer feel the discomfort of the characters here.... Certainly not an unwatchable film, you can safely file this one under 'missed opportunity'.… Expand
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4
AkilaxMar 6, 2021
If you're a bit tired or drunk and you're looking for some light entertainment by watching a teen horror movie, this movie is an option for you.

The movie is driven forward by obviously stupid decisions of the main protagonist. MostIf you're a bit tired or drunk and you're looking for some light entertainment by watching a teen horror movie, this movie is an option for you.

The movie is driven forward by obviously stupid decisions of the main protagonist. Most decisions offer a guaranteed resolution of the problem or a high risk alternative that yields basically the same results. The protagonist consistently makes the wrong decision and that is the only way the plot can continue.

While I was watching Disturbia, I often remembered "Scary Movie" from the year 2000, because some scenes felt so ridiculous, despite them not being intended to present themselves in such a way. Don't go into this movie expecting a well written thriller experience.

The setting is nothing really innovative and certainly a far cry from the sometimes cited Hitchcock original, Rear Window. The writing is even farther from it.

There is a good scene between LaBeouf and Roemer on the balcony, where they have a talk. Almost everything else is not memorable, at least not in a good way.… Expand
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6
sjwilkinSep 26, 2016
The movie focuses a little too much on the incredibly fast paced 'romance' between our two leads. It adds nothing and was probably something Shia got written in to his contract to seal the deal. When the movie does focus on the mystery,The movie focuses a little too much on the incredibly fast paced 'romance' between our two leads. It adds nothing and was probably something Shia got written in to his contract to seal the deal. When the movie does focus on the mystery, conspiracy and tension it is very good and will leave you wanting more... however it then finishes to a pretty weird and perverse ending. Typical eh.… Expand
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5
DawdlingPoetNov 28, 2021
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This movie is, as mentioned above, a pretty typical teen suspense/thriller fare. It starts pretty slowly, making you wonder where (if anywhere) its going.

Its got the usual elements, a guy who's bored and spots a 'hot new chick' that he fancies, who he tries to get close to and that also gets caught up in what happens.

The horror, where applicable, is pretty crude too, so I certainly wouldn't say that its breaking new ground. I didn't find it all that scary for a 15 rated movie. Vacancy is a similar movie that was recently released on DVD too and I have to say, I prefer that to this.

Once the suspense or horror part really kicks in, its not too bad, thought it is pretty predictable, its just about good enough to keep you watching until the end.

There is, as you may expect, quite a voyeuristic aspect to the movie. Kale uses a/v (audio/visual) equipment in his room and Ronnie uses a camcorder to record what happens when he trespasses into the house next door, then later Kale watches the footage and at that time, its up to the viewers to guess with him, what he saw and so on.

It did seem a bit too formulaic I felt. One thing is that there just happened to be thunder and lightning on the night when everything suddenly happened. That was, I suppose, atmospheric but kind of cheesy and a bit laughable, which I guess makes sense as I did read that it was made to be viewed as part comedy, though I didn't really feel that, that worked properly.

It is suspenseful enough once it gets going, as I say but it just seemed a bit overdone, if that makes sense and it doesn't really take a genius to guess the storys outcome either. It seems a bit too daft, for example to have the main horror scenes so over the top, when I thought it was supposed to be based on a clear reality, a voyeuristic reality, that led to it, if that makes sense.

There isn't a great deal of substance behind it either, I felt, with more questions being raised from the story than answered. I know, like I say, that its supposed to be sort of comedic in that way which I guess it kind of is, maybe I take it too seriously but I didn't feel that it really worked to be honest.

I think if your a teen and you don't analyse it much, or at all, you could get a laugh out of it and enjoy it to some extent but I was left disappointed overall, I thought it was distinctly average and more teen oriented than I suppose I was maybe expecting, from the movie poster and the genre and everything.

Its marketed, I believe, as a horror/suspense/thriller but I didn't feel overly impressed with these elements, it just didn't seem to work entirely for me.

I think that teens who watch this for a bit of a laugh and the odd cheap scare, should enjoy this, especially if they haven't seen many other similar movies and won't know what to expect so much. So, for that audience or purpose, I'll give it a somewhat generous 3 star rating.

I felt that the similar suspense/horrow/thriller movie Vacancy, which was also released on DVD fairly recently, was better, not perfect at all but it was more atmospheric and suspenseful and for some reason even more believable in a way but this movie still works to some extent, though I can't help but feel that it could have been alot better.

I think that it works to a certain extent and does provide some interesting thoughts (the issue of what goes on next door and so on) and there is a part which is pretty suspenseful but it still felt a bit too weak, perhaps I have high standards in such movie, I don't know. I think im becoming a little too old for teen movies perhaps lol.

Overall, I wouldn't particularly recommend it, unless your a teen interested in it, given when I've said so far. To confirm, I do realise that there is a comedy element to it and that in a way, it doesn't take itself too seriously but I still didn't feel that it worked too well.

I felt it could have been done better and was a bit of a disappointment. Distinctly average, thats what I thought. Teens will probably enjoy it for a laugh, as a teen suspense movie to watch with friends but really its nothing more than that and I didn't feel too impressed with it but of course, make up your own mind, given what I've said, as to whether you may enjoy this. Different people have different opinions, this is only mine.… Expand
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