“Eagle Eye” – 5/10

Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Billy Bob Thornton, Rosario Dawson

Plot: Jerry Shaw (LaBeouf) and Rachel Holloman (Monaghan) are two strangers brought together by a phone call from a mysterious woman whom neither have met. While the woman begins to push Jerry and Rachel into a series of increasingly dangerous events, she uses the technology of everyday life to track and control their every move. As the two strangers quickly become the most wanted fugitives in the country, they must work together to find out what’s really happening and why.

The Good: This film brings plenty of action to the screen with its explosive car chases and death defying stunts. Aside from the explosions, LaBeouf and Monaghan shine in their roles, displaying a range of emotions that never seem forced or phony.

The Bad: While the performances from the lead actors are first-rate, it cannot save this film.

Exploring the extremely overused cliché of technology becoming self-aware, first featured in “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “Eagle Eye” features a robot practically identical to that of “Odyssey’s.” While many may see that as a possible homage, it seems more like a lack of creativity from the writing staff.

The performances of Rosario Dawson and Billy Bob Thornton are forgettable and irritating. Also at times, the believability of what a computer is able to control is truly implausible. How is a computer able to predict the movements of others or place cell phones in crates on planes? How does it know Jerry won’t break his leg from jumping out of a moving subway, or even die?

Yes, it is just a movie, but it nonetheless proved disappointing.

The Lowdown: While the film delivers action and acting, “Eagle Eye” brings no new ideas or concepts to the screen. The plot is simply unintelligent and is lost in the vast sea of every other film just like it.