In an attempt to follow in the tracks of well-crafted cyber-thrillers like Enemy of the State, D.J. Carusos Eagle Eye barely makes a pit-stop at plausibility while pushing the limits of coherence in order to up the action to overdrive, leaving audiences slightly dumber for having experienced the ride.
This film is the latest instalment in Hollywoods long line of movies that can be grouped under the general heading "Computers dont do that, stupid. Back in the 90s, before the internet became the information super-highway and was more of a data dirt road, computers were still strange gadgets controlled by odd men wearing pocket protectors, and Hollywood writers could get away with fudging the facts about the magic and power of the information age. But now, when everyone and their grandmother has an email account and an iPod, those writing for the silver screen should be wary of making grandiose claims about the digital realm.
In fact, most people in the theatre have a cell-phone in their pocket and are well aware of what computers are capable of, having long ago stopped thinking of high technology as magic devices controlled by wizards and inhabited by tiny elves. For some reason, tinsel town screenwriters havent quite caught on to this fact and continue to pump out technologically absurd scripts that will offend the intelligence of anyone who has used anything more sophisticated than a pocket calculator.
Jerry Shaw (Shia LaBoeuf) is one of those everyday super-genius, slacker "copy associates at the local Kinkos-style copy shop. But when Jerrys overachieving twin brother, who works for a super-secret military program, is mysteriously killed, Jerrys life gets a little strange.
Returning home from the funeral, Jerry discovers his apartment filled with high tech military gear (which his absurdly naive landlady signed for, one can only assume) and hes then contacted by a mysterious woman warning him that the FBI is about to make an arrest. Soon, Jerry is being broken out of custody and guided by the mysterious voice on the phone, who can control every electronic device in the world (except when it inconveniences the plot for her to do so).
Helped by Rachel (Sarah Monaghan), an innocent single mother who has also been ensnared to do the mysterious voices bidding, Jerry sets out to discover one of the most fiendishly idiotic plots ever devised by the American government.
Despite a glaringly illogical plot, Eagle Eye provides some amusement in an "I think Im being lobotomized sort of way. The action is exciting and the car chases are adrenaline-fuelled, metal-crunching fun. Unfortunately one has to sit through two hours of implausible cyber-babble to enjoy the 15 minutes of high-octane excitement.
Skip the theatre and wait for this one to hit DVD or, if what Eagle Eye posits is true, just wait till a secret government agency forces you to watch the movie by overriding all of your electronic devices and broadcasting the movie at you whether you want to see it or not.
(DreamWorks)This film is the latest instalment in Hollywoods long line of movies that can be grouped under the general heading "Computers dont do that, stupid. Back in the 90s, before the internet became the information super-highway and was more of a data dirt road, computers were still strange gadgets controlled by odd men wearing pocket protectors, and Hollywood writers could get away with fudging the facts about the magic and power of the information age. But now, when everyone and their grandmother has an email account and an iPod, those writing for the silver screen should be wary of making grandiose claims about the digital realm.
In fact, most people in the theatre have a cell-phone in their pocket and are well aware of what computers are capable of, having long ago stopped thinking of high technology as magic devices controlled by wizards and inhabited by tiny elves. For some reason, tinsel town screenwriters havent quite caught on to this fact and continue to pump out technologically absurd scripts that will offend the intelligence of anyone who has used anything more sophisticated than a pocket calculator.
Jerry Shaw (Shia LaBoeuf) is one of those everyday super-genius, slacker "copy associates at the local Kinkos-style copy shop. But when Jerrys overachieving twin brother, who works for a super-secret military program, is mysteriously killed, Jerrys life gets a little strange.
Returning home from the funeral, Jerry discovers his apartment filled with high tech military gear (which his absurdly naive landlady signed for, one can only assume) and hes then contacted by a mysterious woman warning him that the FBI is about to make an arrest. Soon, Jerry is being broken out of custody and guided by the mysterious voice on the phone, who can control every electronic device in the world (except when it inconveniences the plot for her to do so).
Helped by Rachel (Sarah Monaghan), an innocent single mother who has also been ensnared to do the mysterious voices bidding, Jerry sets out to discover one of the most fiendishly idiotic plots ever devised by the American government.
Despite a glaringly illogical plot, Eagle Eye provides some amusement in an "I think Im being lobotomized sort of way. The action is exciting and the car chases are adrenaline-fuelled, metal-crunching fun. Unfortunately one has to sit through two hours of implausible cyber-babble to enjoy the 15 minutes of high-octane excitement.
Skip the theatre and wait for this one to hit DVD or, if what Eagle Eye posits is true, just wait till a secret government agency forces you to watch the movie by overriding all of your electronic devices and broadcasting the movie at you whether you want to see it or not.