Eagle Eye - Movie Review

by BJ Clary

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

[caption id="attachment_8220" align="alignleft" width="233" caption="Shia LeBeouf and Michelle Monaghan"][/caption]

Shia LeBeouf (Transformers, Disturbia) is a veritable jack of all trades when it comes to the genre of movies in which he appears. Sci-fi, fantasy, family, mystery, he’s done them all. This year after the disappointment (in my opinion) that was Indiana Jones 4, LeBeouf tries his hand once again at the thriller genre with his new film Eagle Eye.

Though it is not a terrible movie, after a while it becomes apparent that this movie is a bit less than meets the eye.

LeBeouf plays Jerry Shaw, a stereotypical disappointing son who could never live up to his twin brother Ethan.

While Ethan joined the military and quickly rose through the ranks thanks to his genius IQ, Jerry dropped out of Stanford, traveled the world, and now works at Copy Cabana (a low budget Kinkos). To further the stereotype, Jerry is also low on money and can barely afford his rent.

Though it may seem the Jerry’s life could not get any worse, the unexpected death of his twin brother proves the contrary. After a tearful ceremony and a hostile confrontation with his father, Jerry returns to his apartment to find the cache of weapons and other assorted items that are shown in every trailer. From here on out, Jerry’s life gets hectic as he is captured by the FBI and miraculously escapes thanks to the help of a mysterious woman who now plans his every step on a dangerous mission with an unknown outcome.

Jerry is joined on this adventure by Rachel Holloman (Michelle Monaghan, Made of Honor), a divorcee trying to protect her son from the same omniscient woman who has control of any and all networked electronics. Together, these two are forced to complete a seemingly unconnected series of commands while also trying to outrun the FBI.

[caption id="attachment_8221" align="alignleft" width="236" caption="Shia LeBeouf as Jerry Shaw"][/caption]

While this makes for an interesting and suspenseful movie, the big reveal takes away somewhat from the originality of the film. I won’t give too much away, but after a point, the movie feels a lot like I, Robot, a film that, ironically enough, LeBeouf was in as well. The overall plot is actually quite intricate which makes up for the reveal slightly, but the similarities between the two movies cannot be denied.

Eagle Eye has a star studded cast including Rosario Dawson (Death Proof), Billy Bob Thornton (The Astronaut Farmer), and Michael Chicklis (Fantastic 4). Thus the acting is, of course, up to par. The only thing I can really find to complain about is the reveal which could affect each movie goer differently.

In the dull movie gap between summer and the holidays, Eagle Eye tries to give the people something to look forward to seeing. The movie accomplishes this goal, but does little to establish itself as a hot new item.

Cliche story elements and rewashed plot aside, it is still a decent movie worth watching. I mean, come on….it has Shia LeBeouf.

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