eagle eye

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, The Terminator, I, Robot and just about every action thriller should be embarrassed by the compliments heaped upon them by Eagle Eye.

Eagle Eye is Steven Spielberg's newest Shia LaBeouf vehicle, and the one thing the film succeeds at is being completely generic.

Jerry Shaw (LaBeouf) and Rachel Holloman (Michelle Monaghan) are strangers thrown together by a string of mysterious phone calls. Their lives and families are threatened by the omniscient voice on the line, and they have no choice but to follow the caller's instructions while trying to unravel what is really happening and why.

Billy Bob Thorton is a real scene stealer in a supporting role as an FBI agent trying to crack the case. And while LaBeouf and Monaghan are convincing as hapless pawns, they are constrained by the script's lack of character development.

The film's plot was thought up by Spielberg in 1996 and has only been hurt by the long production time. Although conceived as a thriller, the technology featured is no longer surprising. In fact, many of the supposedly intense moment early in Eagle Eye will draw derisive laughs from audiences.

The plot is somewhat complicated and full of holes, but the major weakness is that it all unravels too slowly. The movie also presents a half-hearted, simplistic political message, but fails to provide any depth because of the focus on car chases, explosions and other entertaining, if predictable, special effects.