Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Disturbia Blu-ray Movie Review

A hit (and hip) Paramount title returns to store shelves.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 15, 2008

Are you spying on the neighbors?

Disturbia is another one of those movies starring teenagers and tailor-made to suit the teenage sensibilities of 2007. It is also another one of those movies that is more a re-imagining of a classic rather than a straight remake, this time digging into the vault of Alfred Hitchcock movies, who's probably lucky he's not around to see what passes for a suspenseful movie anymore (teens, scares based on spooky, sudden noises and split-second "horrific" imagery rather than palpable tension and psychological fear). That said, this isn't a bad movie. It's far too clichéd to be considered great, replete with completely superficial, stereotypical, and one-dimensional characters, some artificial scares, and a play-by-numbers plot. Disturbia features the attractive blonde girl-next-door with a miserable home life whom everyone sees as perfect, the goofy sidekick, and the wannabe tough guy who's really far too smart and caring to pull off a phony façade when you get him alone or with those people he keeps closest to him (in this case, the silly sidekick and the blonde). The film does offer the first-time viewer a few genuinely tense moments but far too much drivel in between to really matter, and even though every plot twist seems to go against everything the characters believe, in the end we know exactly where the movie will go and what the outcome will be. Yawn.

No, really! Paramount isn't back! You should buy our rare copy of 'Shooter' for the bargain price of $80!

Kale (Shia LaBeouf, Transformers) seems to be your all-American kid, or at least we're meant to figure that out based on a three or four minute scene showing him and his father bonding on a fishing trip. In a truly shocking and horrific scene, easily the best of the movie, Kale's father is killed in one of the most disastrous automobile accidents in cinema history. Flash forward one year. Kale is a shell of his former self, stumbling and sleeping through school, refusing to do his homework or pay attention in class. When confronted by his Spanish teacher who tells Kale that his late father would not be proud of him, Kale loses control and assaults the teacher. Sentenced to house arrest and forced to wear an electronic ankle bracelet that won't permit him to travel outside of a 100 yard radius, he quickly begins to lose his sanity as his mother takes away his television, video game, and music privileges. Nevertheless, his mind becomes occupied by Ashley (Sarah Roemer, The Grudge 2), a teenage girl that moves in next door. Kale and best friend Ronnie (Aaron Yoo, TV's The Bedford Diaries) have hots for Ashley, who swims and performs her aerobics in plain sight. Their attention is also on another neighbor, Mr. Turner (David Morse, 16 Blocks), a man whom they believe to be a murderer, fitting a brief description they heard on the local news. Soon enough, Ashley becomes involved in Kale and Ronnie's spy game, and the trio goes through elaborate and perhaps foolhardy routines to discover the truth about their seemingly "disturbed" neighbor, all while Kale is trapped inside an electronic barrier that encircles the perimeter of his home.

From what I learned from the movie, I'd guess that "disturbia" is a play on "suburbia," the movie seemingly an allegory for being trapped in a world that even if it seems to be at peace is actually far from it. Even though they have moved from the confines of the "big city" to the more open and less congested suburbs, Ashley tells Kale that only in the suburbs can her mother better control her father. Likewise, Kale has been reduced twice, the first time having his life altered forever when his father is killed in what can only be described as the wide openness of "God's country." Then, his world is shrunk again to the size of an invisible 100 yard perimeter. In that confine, away from the violence we see every night on the evening news, is the real terror, the killer (or is he?) next door, who is only revealed because justice is sweet, the stars align, and three teenagers catch a few breaks (not to mention a bad guy).

This was my second screening of Disturbia, and the first since only weeks after the film's initial release on Blu-ray. Needless to say, the movie definitely fails to have any impact the second go-round, and there is very little replay value. Some movies hold up well even when you know every secret and plot twist (Unbreakable comes immediately to mind as an example), but in this case, for me anyway, the movie felt awfully stale and dull, the mediocre writing and tired characters, two of the film's weaknesses, all the more noticeable. I will admit to be enthralled the first go-round, Disturbia proving to be just tense enough to hold my interest. To the movie's credit, there is enough tension that even on a subsequent viewing I was suckered in just enough to forget that important little plot point about Kale not being able to leave his house until he is forced to venture out, adding a bit of excitement to a mostly stale, second go-round presentation of the film.

Disturbia Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio, Disturbia's 1080p high definition transfer leaves just a bit to be desired. The opening sequence of the movie, a brightly and naturally lit "great outdoors" scene is easily the best looking of the movie, offering crystal-clear and razor-sharp imagery. As soon as the setting returns to the suburbs, the image seems to become a less-than-spectacular one (but still solid nevertheless), exhibiting a bit of softness to go along with the movie's decidedly drab color palette. The image is practically grain-free, seeming extremely squeaky-clean. Detail is neither exceptionally high nor extremely low, but there is some good imagery. From the textures and roughness of a brick sidewalk to the frays on Kale's jeans, we see quite a bit, but there is never quite enough fine detail and razor-sharp imagery to rank this one amongst the very finest transfers. The image is most of the way sharp, however, but soft edges do creep up every now and then. Black levels are average, maybe slightly below, definitely brighter than true black in several shots, and it is in said black scenes where we see the most grain in the image. In other scenes, blacks are solid, but never truly black and inky. The majority of the action takes place in Kale's bedroom where soft amber glows and dark colors dominate. A few scenes also appear to exhibit some minor fluctuations in contrast. Flesh tones also teeter on the "too red" side of the scale. The entire image is certainly no great shakes, but it's more than acceptable nevertheless, one that won't leave most high-definition viewers disappointed with the Disturbia experience.

Disturbia Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The fact that Disturbia is on Blu-ray without a high-definition soundtrack is, well, disturbing. There is a smattering of soundtrack options available on the disc anyway, amongst them a Dolby Digital 5.1 EX and DTS-ES 6.1 offering. I chose to sample the DTS track for the purpose of this review, and for a lossy sound mix, the results weren't bad at all. When the situation calls for it, the track can be quite dynamic and powerful; the car crash scene at the beginning sounds just as horrific as it looks. It's mostly the louder scenes that provide the most abundant and engaging use of sound; for the vast majority of the movie, we hear a standard-fare track that is front heavy and dialogue-centered, said dialogue delivered via the center channel speaker crisply and with strong presence and definition, impeccable even considering the lossy nature of the mix(es). I was still disappointed by the lack of surround and ambient presence in the less dynamic sequences, but the track does make us forget any questionable choices or even the fact that we're not listening to a high definition soundtrack in those action-oriented moments of the film. There are, however, a few instances of sound that come off as gimmicky, like a ringing doorbell that comes through the rear channels far too loud and to the point of sounding out-of-place. Music never really finds its way into the rear either. Indeed, the music is mostly bland, actually, hardly an immersive experience. The soundtrack really picks up during the film's final act, as one might expect, with an abundance of ambience, the music kicking into overdrive, and some very good sound effects permeating the soundtrack. Overall, this is a perfectly acceptable and mostly enjoyable mix that gets the job done and never embarrasses itself, but it's not perfect, and as a result loses a full point, as usual, for not offering a high-definition experience and half a point for a few minor quibbles.

Disturbia Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Nobody should be disturbed by a lack of special features on this disc. There is nothing that is a must-see (or listen), but anyone wanting to dig deeper into the world of Disturbia should be pleased. First is a feature-length commentary with D.J. Caruso and actors Shia LaBeouf and Sarah Roemer. The trio kicks back with some snacks and delivers a decent track, speaking over one another about some anecdotes and stories that don't add much insight to the feature. There is a hint about Shia's next film that can't be mentioned (supposedly Transformers). Caruso offers up the best insights, discussing the different filming locations, for example, and Shia praises the crew as being the best he's ever worked with. This track is worth a listen only for Disturbia's biggest fans.

Next is The Making of Disturbia (1080o, 14:51). Once again, this is a paint-by-numbers feature where the brains behind the film discuss the inception of the idea, how everyone got involved, and the decision to make Disturbia a John Hughes-esque film with horror and thriller elements thrown in to distinguish it from other films. The cast praises one another as much as can be allowed in a 15 minute feature. Four deleted scenes are available, all presented in 1080p with a combined running time of 4:08. Outtakes (1080p, 1:26), featuring some lighthearted moments on the set, and a photo gallery that runs for 7:40 are also included. Next is a music video entitled Don't Make Me Wait by This World Fair (1080p, 4:05) followed by the film's theatrical trailer (1080p, 2:31). Finally, a Serial Pursuit Trivia Pop-Up/Quiz plays over the movie. It rehashes quite a bit of what's to be heard in the commentary, but there are some decent stand-alone tidbits as well.

Disturbia Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Trying to compare Disturbia to Rear Window, as has been and will continue to be the case, is like trying to compare a performance of Chopin's "Minute Waltz," played by the composer himself, with an attempt to recreate it by a piano student of three months. You might very well be able to get out of it the same basic structure, but the flair, finesse, and flawlessness of the original just isn't there. No matter how you slice it, this film just doesn't completely cut it. It gives a noble effort, but ultimately the movie was obviously made for the sole purpose of bringing in the Friday-Saturday night teenager crowd to the local multiplex. Perhaps had there been some sort of out-of-the-blue revelation, say, Kale having gone so insane by the confines of his home that the entire scenario of the movie had been a figment of a crazed imagination, it would have come off as a bit deeper and more meaningful than trudging through a standard-fare horror/thriller cliché, truly showing what a literal nightmare life in "disturbia" can be. Not that "it was all a dream" isn't clichéd, but in a film like this, it just might have proved a bit more interesting than the wholly-Hollywood ending. This Blu-ray is no slouch, offering up a decent picture and good sound, all things considered. The supplemental package is a bit thin, but then again Disturbia doesn't really scream 2-disc set, either. Fans of the genre and the film should be pleased enough with this one, my only hesitation being that once the cat is out of the bag and you know how the movie will end, the replay value is practically zero. This one is a solid Saturday night rental.