He was once thought of as either that kid from "Even Stevens" or the young actor stuck in that terrible "Project Greenlight" movie. But recently Shia LaBeouf -- star of the summer blockbuster "Transformers" and Steven Spielberg's new golden boy -- has begun to develop some box office clout. The movie that started to build his credibility? A little thriller called "Disturbia," which releases on DVD ($29.99) today after scoring as a surprise theatrical hit last spring.
While dominated the box office for three consecutive weeks in April, "Disturbia" makes ideal early-August viewing: It's set in the summertime and clips along suspensefully without straining the viewer's mental muscles. As director D.J. Caruso explains in the DVD's making-of featurette, the movie aims to merge the teen-romance vibe of classics like "Say Anything" with a voyeuristic thriller that borrows heavily from the plot of "Rear Window." It's a merger that works, partly because of the contemporary touches, like the use of cell-phone cameras, and partly because of the performances. LaBeouf -- in full-on, likable-John-Cusack mode -- makes an appealing everyteen, while David Morse strikes just the right note of creepy in his role as the next-door neighbor who, just maybe, is a murderer. Sure, it's not Hitchcock. But it delivers enough plot-twisty fun to make a solid Saturday night rental.
Note that I said rental rather than purchase. That's because the extras on this single disc are hardly worth telling your sketchy neighbor about. In addition to that standard making-of featurette, the DVD includes a useless pop-up trivia track, four inconsequential deleted scenes and skippable commentary hosted by LaBeouf, actress Sarah Roemer and Caruso, who doesn't have the sense to turn off his cell phone during the recording. (Eager to listen to Caruso tell his wife he can pick up some Scotch tape on the way home? Then you'll love this audio track!)
Biggest Waste of a Bonus Point: The pop-up track, while a clever idea, is filled with information that can be found on the commentary or in the making-of featurette. And often, it does little more than state the obvious. When I can see that LaBeouf is wearing a Ramones T-shirt, do I need additional text to confirm it?
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If somehow you missed the classic that inspired "Disturbia," get yourself to a Netflix queue and place "Rear Window" at the top of it, stat.
Leonardo and the other ninja turtles return in "TMNT," while Chris Rock struggles with marital issues in "I Think I Love My Wife,". For more, check out this full list of today's DVD debuts.
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Releases worth marking on the calendar:
PHOTOS: 'Disturbia' -- Paramount/'TMNT' -- Warner Bros.
