User Reviews

Not expecting a masterpiece, I can honest say I was very pleasantly surprised at just how much fun I had watching this movie. While it clearly tries way too hard to be hip, and the staggering amount of product placement serves only to distract, the story serves its purpose of allowing DJ Caruso to pull every trick out of the book, to very satisfying effect.

Shia LaBeouf just about gets by on his charm, but also hints at his ability as an actor, which was firmly cemented through his stunning performance in 'A Guide To Recoginzing Your Saints' last year. His character is nothing new, nor is his predicament, but he remains likable enough and it is hardly difficult to see why he is so taken by his new neighbour, played by the gorgeous Sarah Roemer.

David Morse is appropriately creepy as the neighbourhood nut-job and Carrie Anne Moss, while given little to work with, is fine as LaBeouf's mother.

The story unfolds well, and the red herrings serves to stretch the anticipation until the brutally tense finale. If you're looking for 90 minutes of unabashed, self-indulgent fun, you could do a lot worse than 'Disturbia'.

Disturbia is one of the best PG13 thrillers that I've seen in a long time. After all the other rated PG13 thrillers that have come out in the past six years or so, DJ Caruso, who directed, proves that it has always been possible to make a good suspenseful thriller these days without all the gore.

Shia Labeouf plays Kale Brecht. After witnessing the death of his father in a car accident, he becomes sullen and withdrawn. This leads to him being put under house arrest after he punches out an unsympathetic teacher. Imprisoned in his own house, and unable to go beyond 100 yards, he finds himself turning into a peeping tom and spying on all the neighbors. One of them is the attractive new girl in town named Ashley (Sarah Roemer) and another may be a killer named Mr. Turner (David Morse). With the help of the new girl Ashley, his friend Ronnie (a great comedic turn by Aaron Yoo), Kale goes about investigating Mr. Turner to see if he is the killer or not. The three teenagers use cell phones and the internet as well as video cameras in the investigation, and DJ Caruso shows some of his sly wit by using these same devices in the film to not only investigate the spooky neighbor, but also to create some humor to go along with everything else.

The plot is a familiar one. That would be because the great Alfred Hitchcock used it first with his famous suspense thriller Rear Window. Yes Disturbia is a blatant rip-off of that movie, but it is done with skill, and the acting by all, including Carrie Anne Moss as Kale's mother, was very good. All the characters are likable, and David Morse's turn as the creepy Mr. Turner was well done as well.

Disturbia may not be a great movie, but it is definitely one of the best PG13 thrillers in years. It outshines such horror thrillers as Cursed and Pulse, as well as the recent horror thriller The Messengers. Disturbia also once again proves that you don't need a bunch of gore to make an effective horror thriller. Horror directors take note.

Disturbia tells the story of a teenage boy named Kale who is sentenced to three months house arrest after punching a teacher in the face for making a comment about his recently deceased father. When his mother takes away his TV and his computer, he resorts to spying on the houses surrounding him. Things begin to get frightening when he begins to suspect one of his neighbours is a serial killer. He gets his friends involved with his impromptu investigation, and soon the neighbour realizes he's being watched...And he's not too happy about it. Disturbia is loosely based off the 1954 Alfred Hitchcock classic Rear Window, but it is still a film all in itself, and it is the best thriller I've seen in a while.

What makes this movie better than most horror movies that are released today is that is doesn't rely on excessive gore and gross out tactics to frighten you. It relies on mood and suspense, and that works so much better. As the film went on, the tension got so high that I was literally on the edge of my seat rubbing my hands together because I was so anxious to see what was going to happen next. I actually felt the adrenaline rush that the characters in the film must have been feeling when they were snooping around in the neighbour's garage. The movie has a realistic feel of how creepy it would be to have a serial killer living across the street from you and you had no way to prove it. Everything in this movie is done well. The writing, the directing, the way it all pans out. I was actually shocked when I left the theatre over how good this movie really was.

The acting was very good from everybody involved. Shia LaBeouf has come a long way from Even Stevens. Something tells me that he has a nice career ahead of him. David Morse is perfectly sinister as the neighbour. He's just one of those actors that you might not know who he is to hear his name, but he pops up here and there and you always say, "Cool, it's that guy." Overall, this was an amazing thriller, and I'm glad I went to see it because I really wasn't expecting that much. It leads me to wonder why Hollywood continues to pump out absolute garbage like the Saw trilogy, Hostel, and Dead Silence when they could be making movies like this instead.

8/10

This movie was extremely well paced -- there was very good character development without excessive dialog. The story is exciting and thrilling: a modernized Rear Window. The acting was very solid, and every actor, major or minor, sold their part. Shia LeBeouf was a likable protagonist, Carrie-Anne Moss did a great job in her role as the mother, and David Morse played an exceedingly ominous and creepy neighbor. The climax is very suspenseful, although it did contain a few minor lapses in rational behavior by both the heroes and the villain, but I suppose that could be written off as desperation. Overall, it was refreshing to see a well-paced thriller with great suspense, humor, and character development.

The first time I saw this preview, the first thought that came into my head was "Oh, my God, how could they rip off Rear Window?", Rear Window is one of my all time favorite movies. But my boyfriend and I had nothing better to do last week and decided to see it, I have to say that actually, it wasn't as bad as I expected, I have to admit that it was a pretty good re-introduction to one of the greatest thrillers of all time. It had a new and fresh feeling with teens and it worked, despite how it seemed a bit more predictable than Rear Window, it still was pretty clever.

Kale has had a rough year, while driving his father back from their father/son fishing trip, they get into a horrible fatal car accident, the Father dies, but Kale is alive trying to deal with the guilt of what happened. But a teacher pushes him too far in his high school Spanish class and he hits the teacher, putting him on house arrest, he cannot leave outside his property. But he's in luck when a hot young girl moves next door, they quickly develop a peeping tom type of relationship, they spy on the neighbors, but when they see the neighbor across the street on a date, but the date "never leaves the house" and they want to prove him as a cold hearted murderer, but is he? You'll have to see this movie to find out.

So Distubia was a pretty good movie, I would recommend it, although before you see it, I would highly recommend seeing Rear Window, but this was a good updated version that I'm sure you'll enjoy. It keeps you on the edge of your seat and will make you ask questions over and over again, those are always the thrillers that are worth seeing.

7/10

Although this movie is based on the plot of hitchcock's movie "rear window'', it also has it's own merits and some of it's elements were surprising . It's catered to a teen audience.

Great thriller that is a rein-visioning of rear window that is greatly done! Humor, suspense all add up in this fun filled ride.

I had seen the trailer of the movie and found it appealing. Later I found that it is somewhat similar to Rear Window – the Hitchcock movie and is on the same lines; that made me go and see this movie.

It is the story of a young boy Kale (Shia LaBeouf) who is sentenced to 3 months of house arrest and finds ways to peep through his windows in neighbors' lives – one, the recently moved neighbor girl Ashley (Sarah Roemer) and another middle aged guy Mr.Turner (David Morse) who our young boy and his friend Ronnie (Aaron Yo) suspects as a killer. Is Mr.Turner a killer? Or this is just paranoia of our young gang? The Director D.J.Caruso – who has specialized in crime thrillers in past 4-5 movies, does a very decent job in keeping the audience engrossed in the narrative and unfolds the story slowly and nicely. The movie presents many aspects of drama, and takes us through a ride of varied sub-plots with good interest. There are a couple of minor annoying scenes – like the love aspect (quite unnecessary I thought, but may be required for today's young audiences) and the usual cliché of thriller movies. But overall the movie is entertaining.

Shia LaBeouf is not a great actor, but does a decent job, so does the Sarah Roemer, Aaron Yo and David Morse.

The camera work is excellent because it shows only that much which would make you eager to peep beyond the camera frame to see what is there – and that keeps you engaged. The music is okay.

Yes, the movie is not close to the classic Rear Window, but I should say that I liked the movie.

(Stars 6.75 out of 10)

I understand that the new movie Disturbia is about a person who is unable to leave his room and must look out the window for entertainment. During his peeping sessions, he finds that his neighbor might be a killer and by doing so, tries to get everyone around him to help find out the truth. That premise, and that premise alone, is the ONLY thing that likens this movie to Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece of tension and technical genius, Rear Window. Director D.J. Caruso has taken this script, no credit listed to the writers of that classic, and created a contemporary world around which he can create a cat and mouse chase from the small radius that our protagonist is allowed to travel within having a house arrest anklet affixed to his leg. If the critics are to be believed that this is a ripoff/remake, then every romantic comedy coming down the pipeline is one as well. Boy meets girl, boy must win girl, conflict causes relationship to stay strained, boy ultimately wins girl. Actually since every rom-com follows that exact plot sketch, they are more derivative than Disturbia to Rear Window because Caruso takes a premise, updates it, and makes it his own.

Worried that this might end up as another lame duck attempt from the director, I didn't have too lofty of expectations. I am a fan of Shia LaBeouf, ever since his "Even Stevens" days, and knew he could give it credibility. Fortunately, after the highly disappointing Taking Lives and the ho-hum Two for the Money, it seems Caruso has come back to the form he had with his brilliant debut Salton Sea. Maybe it was the recent work on "The Shield," but we have some nice grit, close-up composition, and stylish camera-work. The realism from Sea is back and Disturbia brings it all to make one of the most entertaining films I've seen this year. We have fantastic humor—LaBeouf's delivery and everyman rapport lends to this well—as well as effective scares and edge of your seat suspense. This is a PG-13 movie that knows what it is and rather than titillate with coming as close to the line as possible, stays in check and deals out a healthy dose of mood and emotion rather than blood and sex. I'd even go as far as saying Sarah Roemer's girl-next-door is the most sensual role this year. It is all about her confidence and eyes, her body language makes it work, and you fall for her just as LaBeouf does, whereas the usual R-rated nudity and over the top craziness has been going so far as to numb audiences by doing what every film now does. Credit Caruso for showing restraint for everything and leading us along by uncovering pieces of the story only when we need to know them.

Besides LaBeouf, Roemer, and a funny turn from Aaron Yoo, the main driving force here is David Morse. This gem of a character actor is at the top of his game as the villainous, did he or didn't he, neighborhood serial killer. He is good as the conflicted heavy who does wrong only when the world around him has forced him to, (like in Dancer in the Dark and Down in the Valley), but he is perfect as the all out creepy, sly-smiling force being accused of kidnapping and killing numerous women. Morse was allowed to run free and he took the opportunity and went even further with it. Where many suspense films like this would become laughable eventually, the realism brought out through LaBeouf and Morse keep the audience enthralled and interested in how everything will play out. I was never bored and at times actually wondering what would happen next because I was so caught up. When the climax comes, I actually was surprised thinking it was crazy that they would get us there so early, but I was just so into it that I didn't realize how much time had past.

Disturbia is a genre film and won't be winning any awards any time soon. What it may lack in total originality it more than makes up for in mood and effective thrills. It had everything you could want from a movie without making you have to think too much. Sit down, go for the ride and walk out of the theatre with the knowledge that your time was well spent. D.J. Caruso, thank you for redeeming yourself.

'Disturbia' is a solid, entertaining thriller that does exactly what it says on the tin. Whilst it's nothing new or special, it is well made, suspenseful and effective in building and sustaining tension.

Shia LaBeouf and David Morse deliver solid performances as Kale and villain Mr Turner. Their characters are interesting and unpredictable and work well with the theme of the film. 'Disturbia' is well paced, the developments are appropriately timed and the film does a good job at keeping you guessing.

All in all, a perfectly decent mystery thriller. One of the better ones I have seen of late, and one I would recommend.

I went to see this because of the advertised, "Rear Window."

That film was an amazing experience for me. Hitchcock can be said to have invented the curious camera, the camera that moves and explores as if it were a character. It probes, it withdraws, it discovers. It "finds" the story. It only does in some of his films. Actually, for most of his career, he was merely a highly skilled craftsman. But then he developed this idea. With "Rear Window" he turned it all upside down. The camera could explore: the world had to be a stage that was composed before and for the camera.

Its frozen noir. That film and "Touch of Evil" ended the ordinary noir period. Since then we can only reference it.

Just because it is a kiddie film didn't phase me. These sometimes have the cleverest nuances, the most oblique perspectives.

But oh, not here, not here. There's the slightest nod to "Rear Window," updated via "Blair Witch" to have the film within be a genuine film.

What we have instead is one of those irrelevant things about teen remoteness and improbable companionship. Onto that is spliced a modern horror bit, with a cabbage patch Hannibal. And only onto that dog's mess do we have the remnant of the fixed pane.

Odd, because the serial killer notion often finds its way into films with a strong story, and this is embedded as a movie within, often a counter-noir where the killer and his opposite fight for control over fate, the shape of fate.

Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

I remember when this came out in theaters, really wanted to see it. I didn't for some reason and when available I bought it instead of renting and that was a big deal back in 2007 for me I was only 13. Now rewatching it, I don't love it like I did and for many reading this probably know why. I still enjoy it though. Watching it takes me back go good memories of that year, also happen to be a good year for Shia, he had 3 movies that year (Disturbia, Surfs Up, and Transformers) and also just watching it and still being entertained and happy that this movie actually ends with some solid action for this type of film. When I first watched it I remember thinking what if the whole thing turns out to be not true like he's not actually a killer. I was gonna be mad! But it didn't happen that way. It is a good thriller!

Great thriller with a great ending. What more could you want

I knocked off a star for the overlong build-up in the first half. Yes, it was suspenseful and cleverly misdirecting but a had little too much cheesy high-school stuff mixed in. But, stick with it as the surprising action-packed second half is worth the wait. Well acted and a good plot.

I was very entertained when I saw an advanced screening of this last night, I was happy that this focused on the characters more, for they are very likable - It just makes the terror far more terrifying! It is of course similar to other thrillers, but what isn't? The young cast give very good performances in what is much like a smart teen romantic comedy, and the opening scene is very well done.

If you just enjoy sitting back and watching a thriller then you'll enjoy this, A LOT, but if you're a fussy nit-picker who think they are beyond teen thrillers, you better stay away.

It's co-written by Carl Ellsworth who also wrote RED EYE and if you enjoyed that you should enjoy this. The direction is good also.

The music choices are cool too.

Lot's of quirky humour and scary set pieces keep you entertained in a fun suspense-mystery-thriller.

"Rear What?" Disturbia - 9/10.

I have to get that (see title) out of the way up front. I have never seen such an incredible proliferation of visible boom microphones in any other movie. Seriously, there was a microphone visible somewhere at the top of the screen for almost the entire length of the film. At some points in the movie, more than one microphone could be seen at a time. I understand that things slip through the editing process but this was just ridiculous.

The movie itself was not too bad. I was a little put off about twenty minutes into the movie when it suddenly dawned on me that I was basically watching a reworking of Rear Window but who really expects anything original from a movie, these days?. As far as teen idol vehicles go, I think Disturbia was slightly better than most. The beginning of the movie was beautifully shot and paced with a very convincing father-son dynamic. I actually felt the bond between the characters. Shia LaBeouf seems to be a decent actor and Carrie-Anne Moss's mother character was one of the most realistic I've ever seen in this type of movie; she was neither an overbearing troll nor a doormat for her son. Aaron Yoo's Ronnie was great comic relief and the kind of friend a lot of us have had (or have ourselves been to others). All in all, I think the casting was done well and the actors all turned in decent performances, with David Morse's Turner standing out the most.

Unlike the other review I just read, I don't think the pacing in this movie was all that good. There were huge blocks of what I like to call "nothing". I guess if you're a seventeen year old male, you'll enjoy the 65% of the movie that is spent watching Kale's new female neighbor through binoculars, but to me it just seemed to slow down the film. There was a little action in the beginning, a huge stretch of watching a girl swim, then a massive rush of violence at the end of the flick. I think Disturbia would benefit from a few less minutes of swimming neighbors and Hostess products towers (you'll see what I mean when you watch the movie).

I gave this movie a six because, despite what I said above and the constant presence of boom mics, this movie actually got my heart racing once or twice and the acting was quite good. If you like murder mysteries and/or teen-oriented movies, this one is worth a watch on some Sunday afternoon.

Seriously, though, there's a microphone in nearly every shot.

If you love romance, suspense, and great casting; then you'll love this film. This film sums up all of the emotions felt by teenagers, but is also one of the most entertaining movies of the 21st century. When you think about a good movie, you think about character depth/growth, chemistry, and an interesting story. This thriller has all of that, and is great from begging, middle, and end. Please go watch this movie.

I admit this is guilty pleasure of mine, Disturbia is my all time favorite Shia LaBeouf film. Probably his only best movie he did before he went and stared in The Transformers trilogy. I love this movie to death, I got this movie this Thursday on Blu-ray disc that I have I bought and I watch it next day and I had a really fun. I really love this movie and it is a good mystery thriller movie. Sadly it is not a horror movie and it is rated PG-13 movie not R to bad. So sadly it is not scary enough but it is thrilled and it is suspense with fast paced. Do I think it is the best film or the greatest one? Of course not but is not a bad movie it is an entertaining mystery film that keeps you guessing what will happen next.

This movie is partly inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window. I know also there were 2 movies in the 90's that also come out: Rear Window (1998) with Christopher Reeve and of course The Darklings (1999) with Suzanne Somers I watched that movie in 2003 and Rear Window with Christopher Reeve I have seen long time ago after he did. I am big fan of Christopher Reeve and I really miss him. I will re watch that movie again, but I can't find The Darklings (1999) anywhere on the net.

*Even on this quiet three-lined street, no one is safe...especially from the savage killer next door. Welcome to Disturbia, a cool thriller with big scares."

Living under three months house arrest, Kale Brecht (Shia LaBeouf, Transformers)passes his days spying on the neighbors. It's all fun and games until things take a horrifying turn for the worse. Kale is convinced his neighbor next door is a serial killer- but he can't prove anything, can't convince anyone and can't leave his house without triggering an alarm. Enlisting the help oh his good friends. Kale is determined to expose the truth - but have they all taken on more than they bargained for with a cold blooded murderer on the loose? With nowhere to run and nowhere to hide, Kale and his friends are in a race for their lives in this electrifying thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Shia LaBeouf turns in a terrific pulse pending performance, the cast also includes David Morse, Sarah Roemer and Carrie-Anne Moss in this film. I love the cast in this movie beside Shia LaBeouf, here is Carrie-Anne Moss the hot sexy babe from The Matrix who play's Kale's mom awesome. Sarah Roemer as Ashley (Kale's neighbor) is one hot sexy hot chick and really awesome. David Morse is terrific as the villain serial killer.

I love everything about this movie the story about a high school student who loses his dad in a car accident and he attacks his Spanish teacher and he get's 3 month house arrest. When he starts spy's on his neighbors out of boredom he finds a shocking truth about his neighbor Robert Turner (David Morse) that he is am actual serial killer. This movie has also a good soundtracks like are: Louque - Whoa now and Taper Jean Girl by Kings of Leon I like these two soundtracks they are good.

I love the chemistry between Kale and Ashley and I just love this movie to death! On the end of the film was really creepy when Kale found skeletons of the body's. I have enjoy this movie it is really a guilty pleasure of mine I only wish it would be a horror movie that is why I didn't give a 10 but I give this movie B+ 7/10 it is really a good movie I recommended it.

Disturbia is a 2007 American horror thriller film directed by D. J. Caruso, written by Christopher Landon and Carl Ellsworth and stars Shia LaBeouf, David Morse, Sarah Roemer and Carrie-Anne Moss. The film follows a teenager who is placed on house arrest and begins to spy on his neighbors, thinking one of them is a serial killer.

7/10 Grade: B+ Studio: Paramount Pictures Starring: Shia LaBeouf, David Morse, Sarah Roemer, Carrie-Anne Moss Director: D. J. Caruso Producers: Joe Medjuck, E. Bernett Walsh, Jackie Marcus Sreenplay: Christopher Landon, Carl Ellsworth Story By Christopher Landon Rated: PG-13 Running Time: 1 Hrs. 45 Mins. Budget: $20.000.000 Box Office: $117,760,134

Disturbia...Oh the possibilities. But!, if you ask me this movie is a steaming pile of "hot" poo. The entire story is way to simple for anyone to take serious. The writers could have really made this movie into something great, but I guess that was their intentions. I guess thats why it's rated PG-13, but I don't any 13 year old that would be even remotely disturbed by this movie. Why would anyone call a movie that is rated PG-13 scary, if the movie does nothing of the sort. I feel completely retarded for even thinking this movie was going to be entertaining. But then again most movies of this nature end up getting us all the time. I wouldn't even recommend sneaking in to see it, the end result will leave you feeling angered for wasting your efforts to sneak in. Well ill just add this to the list of movies that shoulda...coulda...but didn't and try and remind myself that a PG-13 movie could never scary, and watch something else.