Grade: D+
Synopsis: A young man (Shia LaBeouf) and a single mother (Michelle Monaghan) find themselves thrown together on a perilous journey by a mysterious organization capable of controlling every bit of technology in their lives.
Eagle Eye is so ridiculous, it’s almost laughable… almost. The story is an amalgam of North by Northwest (1959), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934), and 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), that gets more and more implausible as it unwinds. Indeed, the plot holes are so big, and so gaping, that it’s impossible to take the film seriously.
This wouldn’t be such a bad thing if the filmmakers felt the same way, but unfortunately, everyone seems to believe they’re making a serious thriller instead of a satire.
Leads Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan do their best to distract from the ludicrous proceedings, and LaBeouf almost rises to the task, but ultimately lacks that certain innate charm, that ever present humor, that the greatest of performers can draw on to see them through such messes.
For his part, director D.J. Caruso handles the action well, giving the film a slick, glossy look that helps distract from the story, but again, it’s just not enough.
Eagle Eye began as an idea from Steven Spielberg, who served as executive producer, so it’s easy to see why nobody had the guts to point out its inherit flaws. Instead, no less that four credited screenwriters attempted to string together what likely began as a series of scenes into something resembling a believable story. That they failed is no surprise. That Spielberg is so far removed from plausible storytelling is.
