My Take: Fast-paced and gimmicky, but also by-the-numbers and a bit too far-fetched.
You've seen this before; the killer is only different every time. Set aside its message of our modern society succumbing to superior technology, EAGLE EYE is your standard action chase thriller. You have the guy whose framed, the woman who accompanies him, the reckless cop/agent who pursues him ruthlessly yet in the end, realizes his mistake and helps him instead) and of course the culprit, who in this movie you probably know from the advance press. But even with a few surprises at hand, EAGLE EYE is routine and by-the-numbers. Impressive visually, but routine nonetheless. Oh yeah, did I mention it's also ridiculous?
We've seen nonsense in movies before; a lot of times actually. And we also realize that nonsense could be fun as long as you can suspend your disbelief. But it's gonna take more suspension of disbelief to have me follow this plot. The movie is supposed to tap into our inner fears that one day, our own technology might turn against us. The story follows everyman Jerry Shaw (Shia LaBeouf) framed for the possession of illegal arms. To stay alive and ahead of the law, he must obey an unknown voice from his cellphone. He must also join a single mother (Michelle Monahan) who is fighting to keep his son alive, while a no-nonsense FBI agent (Billy Bob Thornton) as hot on their heels. You've seen these kind of stories before; long enough to know that, if done well and involving enough, they can be sort of entertaining. Whilst occasionally entertaining thanks to some well-done chase sequences and explosions (which, might I mention, weren't exactly original as well), EAGLE EYE just gets too ludicrous for a movie that takes itself rather seriously. Some sequences just get too improbable that once you see one implausible twist, you know what's coming to you. There's just too many deux ex machina that it pervades any further surprises. And for a film that wants us to be aware of how we use our superior technology, the film is not scary. So that's two strikes against the film.
Steven Spielberg is at hand (recent info claims he came up with the film's idea), but he's mostly there to sign checks, and to look after two of his discovery talents: director D.J. Caruso and star LaBeouf, who also teamed up in DISTURBIA. LaBeouf, who is actually growing up into a fine actor, maybe growing up too fast in his role here. Not that a serious role will be bad for Shia; it's just not the time yet to buy him in his role here. Meanwhile, the rest of the cast does give okay performances for a chase thriller and kudos for Caruso for giving the film a certain boost of energy. But not even its fast-pace can hide the far-fetched and often incoherent story at its base.
Rating: **1/2 out of 5.
You've seen this before; the killer is only different every time. Set aside its message of our modern society succumbing to superior technology, EAGLE EYE is your standard action chase thriller. You have the guy whose framed, the woman who accompanies him, the reckless cop/agent who pursues him ruthlessly yet in the end, realizes his mistake and helps him instead) and of course the culprit, who in this movie you probably know from the advance press. But even with a few surprises at hand, EAGLE EYE is routine and by-the-numbers. Impressive visually, but routine nonetheless. Oh yeah, did I mention it's also ridiculous?
We've seen nonsense in movies before; a lot of times actually. And we also realize that nonsense could be fun as long as you can suspend your disbelief. But it's gonna take more suspension of disbelief to have me follow this plot. The movie is supposed to tap into our inner fears that one day, our own technology might turn against us. The story follows everyman Jerry Shaw (Shia LaBeouf) framed for the possession of illegal arms. To stay alive and ahead of the law, he must obey an unknown voice from his cellphone. He must also join a single mother (Michelle Monahan) who is fighting to keep his son alive, while a no-nonsense FBI agent (Billy Bob Thornton) as hot on their heels. You've seen these kind of stories before; long enough to know that, if done well and involving enough, they can be sort of entertaining. Whilst occasionally entertaining thanks to some well-done chase sequences and explosions (which, might I mention, weren't exactly original as well), EAGLE EYE just gets too ludicrous for a movie that takes itself rather seriously. Some sequences just get too improbable that once you see one implausible twist, you know what's coming to you. There's just too many deux ex machina that it pervades any further surprises. And for a film that wants us to be aware of how we use our superior technology, the film is not scary. So that's two strikes against the film.
Steven Spielberg is at hand (recent info claims he came up with the film's idea), but he's mostly there to sign checks, and to look after two of his discovery talents: director D.J. Caruso and star LaBeouf, who also teamed up in DISTURBIA. LaBeouf, who is actually growing up into a fine actor, maybe growing up too fast in his role here. Not that a serious role will be bad for Shia; it's just not the time yet to buy him in his role here. Meanwhile, the rest of the cast does give okay performances for a chase thriller and kudos for Caruso for giving the film a certain boost of energy. But not even its fast-pace can hide the far-fetched and often incoherent story at its base.
Rating: **1/2 out of 5.