Eagle Eye (Theaters)

Now here’s a movie that had so much promise. It had a nice cast in Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Billy Bob Thornton, Rosario Dawson, and Michael Chiklis. The trailers had the right mixture of mystery surrounding the plot and action to hold your interest. After watching it though, I couldn’t help but imagine how much better it could have been if there were a few changes in the storyline. Nonetheless, it’s still a decent watch and much better than other action/cyber-thrillers that have been fed to the masses.

We’ll start with the negatives. First of all, there really is no air of originality in this movie. None. It borrows heavily from many other big budget movies, most notably Enemy of the State and I-Robot. There’s a bit of The Matrix flavor in there as well. So there’s more than just a sense of familiarity with this movie. Without getting into specifics, there are also quite a few scenes that have “cliché” written all over them. The storyline is decent but it’s definitely not as smart as it seems to think it is. It won’t leave a lasting impression.

Despite all of its flaws, this was still an entertaining movie. Eagle Eye is a fun movie that routinely gets the adrenaline rushing. If you notice, I did not list character development, or the lack thereof, as a negative. There’s a nice sprinkle of character development to be found that allows the audience to care about what happens to the leads. It also presents the characters with more depth than movies of this type usually offer. It’s refreshing to see. Another major point I have to give is the acting. For the material they were given, the actors pretty much do a great job at bringing their characters to life. Shia LaBeouf is quickly climbing the ranks as a young star to really watch out for. He has more range than I’m sure anyone expected him to have. If you’ve seen the former Disney Channel show, Even Stevens, you’ll have a grasp of what I’m talking about.

By no means is this a must-see movie, but here are my recommendations. If you want to be blown away by a movie that you can really wrap yourself in, this is definitely not it. If you just want an escape from the daily grind and want to be entertained, then this movie can do it for you. Ultimately, Eagle Eye falls a bit short of its potential.

Synopsis:

Shia LeBeouf and Michelle Monaghan star in Disturbia director D.J. Caruso’s race-against-time thriller concerning two strangers thrust together by a mysterious telephone call, and their frantic efforts to discover why they have inexplicably become the nation’s most wanted fugitives. Jerry Shaw (LeBouf) and Rachel Holloman (Monaghan) were complete strangers at the beginning of the day, but that changed the instant a strange woman called to threaten both their lives and the lives of their loved ones. Suddenly forced into a series of increasingly dangerous situations, Jerry and Rachel must now take orders from a woman who’s using everyday technology to track and control their every move. As the situation intensifies and the hapless duo are deemed the country’s most wanted fugitives, they must work together in order to discover who it was that turned their lives upside down, and what they can do to thwart the criminal mastermind’s cunning yet diabolical plan. Billy Bob Thornton, Rosario Dawson, Michael Chiklis, and Anthony Mackie co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide