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Eagle Eye is a well-paced, action-packed popcorn movie up at the same level as most of Shia LeBouf's other movies. It had just enough mystery to keep a intellectual interest throughout the explosions, horrific deaths (though, of course, the rating meant they were off-screen), and originally awkward interaction between the two main characters. While an attentive viewer will guess most of the "surprises" before they are revealed, the question as to how the movie will ultimately end makes up for any disappointment.

The acting was better than expected, the storyline as original as it could hope to be, and, all in all, it is certainly a movie I suggest to fans of action, Shia, or government conspiracies.

The "technology is everywhere" idea for "Eagle Eye" was hatched several years ago from the brilliant mind of executive producer Steven Spielberg. He wanted to do for electronic devices what he successfully did for sharks in "Jaws." People feared going to the water after watching Spielberg's 1975 masterpiece but I doubt they will stop using technology because of "Eagle Eye."

Yet, the film succeeds in instilling paranoia. It may not have reached the cinematic tension of "Jaws," but you will still feel suspicious about your cell phones, laptops, and GPS. Is Big Brother watching? In "Eagle Eye," it's Big Sister who's doing all the controlling. Her soothing but commanding voice (Julianne Moore in an uncredited role) is manipulating people into doing exactly what she wants them to do. Her motivation may be patriotic, but the means by which she carries out her duties can be considered terroristic.

Acting as Big Sister's unwilling puppets are Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan. Their characters unite to figure out who's the person behind Big Sister's voice.

In his first adult leading man role, LaBeouf stars as Jerry Shaw, a copy clerk in Chicago who's detached from his family. Compared to his successful twin brother, an Air Force public relations officer, Jerry is an underachieving loser with no ambition or dreams.

When his brother gets killed in a car crash, Jerry's life takes a drastic turn for the worse. Suddenly, huge amounts of bomb-making materials show up at his apartment, which prompt the FBI, headed by Agent Thomas Morgan (the scene-stealing Billy Bob Thornton), to label Jerry a terrorist.

Meanwhile, Monaghan's Rachel is busy being a single mom. Her little boy is off to Washington, D.C. to play for the President in his school band. That night, Rachel is enjoying an all-girls night out when she receives "the" call. Her child's life is in danger, if she doesn't follow directions precisely.

"Rachel Holloman you have been activated," says the soothing voice on the other end of the line. "Your compliance is vital. We will derail your son's train unless you do what you're told!" Cue action-packed music.

Directed by D.J. Caruso, LaBeouf's partner-in-crime in "Disturbia," "Eagle Eye" is a non-stop action-thriller that's frenetic, chaotic, and at times, overwhelming. Get ready to be assaulted by quick edits and jerky camera movements – a barrage of sights and loud sounds which sometimes culminates into mind-blowing special effects.

Amidst all the noise, the quiet performance by "The Shield's" Michael Chiklis as Defense Secretary Callister stands out as the heart of the movie. You can see that a world of responsibilities rests upon his shoulders.

I also enjoyed the chemistry between LaBeouf and Monaghan. The romantic tension is evident albeit inferred. If this is an 80s movie, the actors would have made love, with guns a' blazing and a Journey soundtrack playing in the background.

The biggest element I liked about "Eagle Eye" is its strong "what if" factor. The hi-tech central plot of the film doesn't feel like science fiction. Spielberg's imagination is truly ahead of his time. He conjured up this scenario long before cell phones, laptops, and GPS rule the world. So get off of your computer and watch "Eagle Eye." And for that, "Eagle Eye" gets 3 "Big Sister's Watching" kisses.

Yeah, there is a bit of 2001 Space Odyssey, I Robot, Bourne Supremacy--any movie that has computers, surveillance, and government, coupled with unwilling participants. But it works. It does. Don't let the naysayers dispel you from a movie worth watching. Who cares if Spielberg favors Shia? I couldn't think who else could duck cars, cranes, the FBI, and still crack a joke that fits right in place. From Holes to Eagle Eye, Shia proves worth watching (okay, I Robot, was a bit silly). Eagle Eye does start out fresh and exciting in the beginning, gets a little boggy in the middle, and is soft at the end--BUT, it is still worth the admission price. You won't want to leave at anytime during the movie, the pace is so tightly executed. The stunt action is primo--the car crashes alone are standout. And the chase scene in the airport conveyor system is something else. The whole question of do we have too much technology is the theme. Don't forget to leave your cell phone at home.

Essentially seems like someone saw transformers and was like I can get Shia to run for 2hrs as well with pretty much no story or plot happening . Decent enough though, bit long.

I think this is possibly the third film this year that has directly involved a higher power turning 'insufficient funds' into a considerable amount, and while this comparison is valid in a sense, that's where similarities end. From the trailers I was imagining Eagle Eye to be a cross between The Matrix and Wanted, but it's not… not at all. No, it is neither creatively similar nor anywhere near the same quality. So despite some similarities, Eagle Eye at least delivers an experience that is refreshing, but at the same time familiar. Not much risk-taking is implemented here; there are virtually no new ideas of any kind, and the themes present have all been battered to death in countless novels and films that have frankly done the job far more successfully. Read aloud, the script could easily be interpreted to be a techno-phobe's transcription of a recurring nightmare; the government tracking us all on phones, cameras lip-reading us etc. etc. and for the most part, that is how the movie plays out. While these elements leave an experience that will always have you guessing as to where the movie is going next, the eventual climax of the film boils down to character rather than plot, and as a result of spotty characterisation, the film eventually falls flat. Despite some major issues however, Eagle Eye still manages to retain a sense of spectacle, and the story, although mostly a science-fiction dud for the most part, does move forward at a decent rate. In this regard, the movie makes for good popcorn watching, but not much else.

Following meek photo-copy shop clerk Jerry Shaw (Shia LaBeouf) as he takes the road after being wrongly suspected as a terrorist by the FBI, Eagle Eye is standard political thriller material; there's the hard-ass government officials, the misunderstood civilian who is inevitably on his way to save everyone, and the fragile love interest along for the ride in the form of Rachel Holloman (Michelle Monaghan). What makes this feature at least a little more interesting than the cookie-cutter outline of thriller scripts however is that both these lead characters are being led on a mysterious journey across the country by a voice-on-a-phone who has access to all sorts of technology that governs our civilisation from computers, phones and TVs to billboards and alarm systems. Through this voice, Eagle Eye delivers its main theme of technological sabotage and paranoia; Big Brother with ones and zeroes. Of course, it's not the most original of ideas, and the movie's script plays them as obvious as can be with no desire for subtlety at all. As such, the writer's lack of anything interesting to say becomes apparent after the first act comes to an end. As far as science-fiction goes, it's standard thematic material. Again, no real developments or ideas are plugged in here for you to digest, only well established ones reiterated for your brainless entertainment.

One of the script's far more successful elements however lies in the character of Jerry, and his off-screen relationship with his recently deceased brother. Although the movie never transgresses beyond the rather a-typical successful brother/lazy brother aesthetic, the writing is focused and sharp enough to give actor LaBeouf enough material to work with. So far this year LaBeouf has proved himself a highly capable performer, and Eagle Eye does well to showcase his talents here. While his chemistry with co-star Monaghan is almost non-existent, the actor does well to cover up most of the holes in this mismatch, and in his character in order to make Jerry a sympathetic, but engaging persona to watch. As a leading man, LaBeouf still shows some restraint and doesn't ever quite improve on his less-than-charismatic performance in Transformers, but as was the case there, his small image often complements the scope of the movie.

In the end, all the characters and their developed relations do eventually come to an emotionally engaging climax that capitalises on such developments with great conviction. Of course, there's a dud of an ending that follows the real climax in order to provide picky viewers with a bow on top of their cathartic package, but it doesn't hurt the final payoff too much. Taken as a whole however, Eagle Eye certainly isn't perfect but it isn't bad either. For popcorn entertainment, director D.J. Caruso does his job well enough to create an engaging thriller that delivers some action, some character and some plot, even if it all feels a little underwhelming when put together. Anyone looking for anything but fluffy action-orientated thrills driven by mystery and spotty politics would be best to find something else to chew on; mildly enjoyable, but not entirely memorable.

• Written by Jamie Robert Ward (http://www.invocus.net)