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The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

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LaBeouf shines while plot suffers in ‘Eagle Eye’

It’s more stylized than “Transformers,” has more twists and turns than “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” is wackier than an episode of “Even Stevens,” and tries almost too hard to build off of the success of last year’s “Disturbia.” While it seemed to have everything going for it, from A-list star Shia LaBeouf (“Transformers”) to the legendary Steven Spielberg (“War of the Worlds”) as executive producer, “Eagle Eye” falls short with all-too-familiar plot patterns and makes the mistake of sacrificing substance for style.

Stanford dropout Jerry Shaw (LaBeouf) works at the local copy store. After returning from his twin brother Ethan’s funeral, he discovers his bank account has gained $700,000 and finds his apartment full of guns and passports. He then begins to receive mysterious phone calls from an unknown woman, as does Rachel (Michelle Monaghan, “Made of Honor”),a single mother he must cooperate with. Both face high stakes while at the mercy of the woman over the phone: Both may lose their lives, Rachel may also lose her son. Together, they perform the tasks given to them while being pursued by Agent Morgan (Billy Bob Thornton, “Bad Santa”) and Agent Perez (Rosario Dawson, “Rent”). Rachel and Jerry, fearing for their lives, must avoid the government while completing these tasks and discovering their involvement in a much larger plot.

Director D.J. Caruso (“Two For the Money”) has already teamed up with LaBeouf on last summer’s hit “Disturbia.” Althought that movie was seen as an obvious (and somewhat successful) remake of “Rear Window,” “Eagle Eye” borrows too many elements from “2001: A Space Odyssey” and “The Terminator.” The difference lies in how these two movies made statements about technology’s increasingly prevalent role in society, while Caruso’s movie only provides excessive plot and action.

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The only reason this movie stays somewhat entertaining is because of the decent performances. The actors give their all for every scene, which works to make the film plausible, until the role played by technology renders the entire story unbelievable. LaBeouf, clearly having a great time since becoming an A-list star, delivers an intense yet humorous performance. Although it is difficult to see Louis Stevens with a moustache, Shia establishes himself as an extremely talented actor. Michele Monaghan proves to be more than a pretty face as she works well with LaBeouf, matching his level of intensity. Billy Bob Thornton acts as if he knows he is in a ridiculous movie, but he takes it for what it is and enjoys himself on screen. While his character is over-the-top, he still brings his knowledge and experience to the film, which work into the mix nicely. Rosario Dawson, on the other hand, didn’t blend as well.. The other actors obviously had fun with their intensity, while Dawson stood there with a scowl and clenched fists.

The issue with “Eagle Eye” — as well as with “Disturbia” — is that nothing is new. Classic movies are taken and updated with new technology, a young star and more suspenseful music, but these movies still do not rehash the same old plot devices. If anything, they only reestablish the preeminence of the classics that inspired them. This is bad news for Shia LaBeouf, since “Eagle Eye marks his second “remake” film, and his talent warrants fresher material.

For now, moviegoers will have to settle with mediocre remakes with more technology and explosions but much less intelligence. “Eagle Eye” promised much with its stars, producer and trailer but cared too much about what was not important and too little about what was, causing it to fall into mediocrity.

2 stars out of 5

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