"Eagle Eye" Movie Review

Soooooo this was one of the movies I was dying to watch in theaters when it first came out, but, for a variety of reasons, that never worked out. I finally got it from the library (my library is AWFUL, it takes them like 5 months to get new DVDs), and, more importantly, I finally had time to watch it. And my conclusion is, Eagle Eye gets a bad rap.

Okay, so the plot is a bit lame. The storyline gets a bit unbelievable at points. But the bottom line is, Eagle Eye is a dark, fast-paced action/adventure movie that caters to those who love high-tech gadgets and explosive special effects. And the writers/directors/producers know it, too. They never attempt to pretend this is the most intelligent, thought-provoking film out there, they just focus on making Eagle Eye the best movie in its genre, without ever slipping into the trap of making it silly, pathetic, or mindless. This film is remarkably unpretentious, leading to overall better acting, better writing, and better directing.

So, at school this semester, I'm taking a digital video production course. Two weeks into the class, and I'm already watching movies going, "Oh that was a brilliant shot! I wonder how they got that effect! No, no, no, the scene should be set up like this!" I was focusing a lot on the production aspects, which maybe made the plot a bit more acceptable. Some of the things I noticed: Eagle Eye follows the "show, don't tell" principle maybe better than any movie I've seen (or maybe I've just never payed attention before). Probably the most notable example is Ethan's funeral. We aren't "told" Ethan died, we aren't "told" that Ethan and Jerry were twins, but you get all that and more from the acting. As for the special effects (*cough*explosions*cough*) they are not the gratuitous, constant explosions you'll find in a Michael Bay film (not that there's anything wrong with those, but everything in its place). They're gritty, realistic, purposeful and well done. I'm thinking especially of the falling power lines here. By the way, car chases? So much more fun when one participant doesn't know how to drive her stickshift car ;)

As for the characters, we learn a surprising lot about them. Over the course of the movie – which is really only a few days, if that – we see the two leads slowly moving from hostility to trust to friendship, which culminates in a (slightly corny) birthday scene at the end. I'm actually starting to think that Shia LaBeouf has the potential to be a good actor now. Agents Tom Morgan and Zoe Perez might be a bit stereotypical, but the actors lend them crediblity, and I was actually quite liking them by the end. Overall, much more characterization than you get from, say, Transformers.

Last, but not least, the societal commentary. Sure, we have nothing close to Ariia now, but how soon until we do? Five years? Ten? And what happens then? How much do you trust the computer? How much do you trust the government to protect your privacy? How long until the computer does something you completely aren't prepared for? All very important questions that hit you after the movie is over. Oh . . . and don't watch this with your cellphone on! Mine rang during the movie, at one of the points where Ariia was trying to contact Jerry, and I jumped a foot!

Bottom line, if you love well produced, dark, effects-filled films that still manage to be intense action/adventure movies, go watch this. Even if you don't, watch it anyway. The societal commentary just might make it all worth it.