For Kale (Shia LaBeouf), an average fun-loving high school student, summer vacation has turned out to be a nightmare.

His life gets complicated when an incident at school lands him under house arrest for the summer.

A tracking monitor attached to his leg alerts authorities the second Kale crosses the designated perimeter around his house.

While confined, Kale finds abstract ways of passing the time, and eventually takes up spying on his neighbors, including Ashley (Sarah Roemer), an attractive blonde, who moves into the house next door.

One day a mysteriously private neighbor named Mr. Turner (David Morse) raises Kale’s suspicions when he observes strange behavior between Turner and a female companion.

Kale begins to think that Turner may be a serial killer from another state that was never caught.

While those around him doubt Turner’s guilt, Kale becomes more and more convinced as he looks through his binoculars.

Kale’s story in the latest release “Disturbia” is a new take on an old story.

In many ways the film is a modern version of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 film, “Rear Window.”

The most interesting aspect of the film is Kale himself, as he tests the limits of his confinement and gets to know all of the subtle nuances of his suburban neighborhood.

This understanding develops in the first half of the movie so thrill-seeking moviegoers looking for mind games and edge-of-the-seat suspense have to wait until the second half of the movie.

The movie really gets unoriginal toward the end as the mystery of Turner unravels.

The plot takes the same twists that have been seen before.

There are some false police alarms where Kale comes off looking like a lunatic, as well as the typical scenes where everyone abandons him because he is seemingly obsessed with Turner. Kale’s story is far more interesting.

LaBeouf gives a wonderful performance as the confined Kale. He is very believable and makes Kale a rather likable guy. His acting career has exploded in recent years with roles in “Constantine,” “Bobby” and “Transformers,” the latter set for release this summer.

While many young actors seem to fade into obscurity, especially those starring in Disney sitcoms, LaBeouf has seemingly overcome that stereotype.

Co-star Aaron Yoo, who plays Kale’s best friend Ronnie, also does well, and their chemistry together has a very likable quality. David Morse is sufficiently creepy as Turner.

The overall look and feel of the film is excellent.

The crisp camera work and positioning make the viewer almost completely unaware that the camera is even there.

While “Disturbia” does have its moments of hilarity and suspense there isn’t very much that hasn’t been seen before.

It may, however, get audiences to think twice about the odd neighbors they know little about.

The main premise is taken straight from Hollywood’s film libraries, and the thrilling climax mirrors that of many of the film’s predecessors.

“Disturbia” rates somewhere just above the middle of the scale.

Although the film is entertaining, and worth the time, it is not necessarily a must see.