The title of this passable suspense yarn is a bit of a stretch of a pun on Suburbia - the first film of a trio to come this summer starring Hollywood's next household name, Shia Lebeouf. The likable star of films such as Holes, The Battle of Shaker Heights and Keanu Reeves sidekick in the underrated Constantine, will be camped in Megaplexes the world over with lead turns in the bankable (and admittedly intriguing) Transformers, and the animated Surf's Up.

As for Suburbia, it will no doubt collect mixed reviews with it's obvious nod to Hitchcock's Rear Window and plausibility pushing plot, but with Lebeouf's energetic performance and a creepy turn by David Morse it's a film worth a grudging thumbs up.

Lebeouf plays a rebellious high schooler who winds up in a pair of home-arrest ankle bracelets after punching a counselor who steps on a sore spot or two related to the recent death of his father. Thus restricted Shia falls back on his telescope, binoculars, computer and an Asian buddy (Aaron Yoo) to make up for his short leash.

First to fall into Shia's crosshairs are a new family moving in just down the street with a beautiful teenage daughter (Sarah Roemer), and just as intriguing are some peculiar goings-on at his weird next door neighbor's house. Lebeouf carries the film with his manic energy and stuttering romantic antics (uncannily similar to John Cusack circa Say Anything). Roemer is a fresh-faced beauty - strawberry blonde with cheekbones and bearing reminiscent of a young Mia Farrow fused with Gwyneth Paltrow.

Completing the tableau is Shia's mom (Carrie-Ann Moss) who eschews her sons paranoid notions about the neighbor, due in part to her loneliness and growing attraction to the mystery man next door. The plot thickens when Shia witnesses what for all the world appears to be the disposal of a body by Morse at which point he recruits the help of Yoo and Roemer to run a bit of investigative recon. It gets a bit too Scooby Doo as Roemer follows the charming-when-he-needs-to-be Boo Radley to a supermarket reporting on his whereabouts via cell phone while Yoo looks for damning evidence in his garage. There are, however some hair-raising moments as it is feared that Yoo has fallen victim to Morse's treachery.

Any further details would put me into spoiler territory, suffice to say that it all comes to a big Hitchockian head. I could have live without the sequence lifted from Poltergiest – it was unnecessary and quite ridiculous, but all in all, Disturbia is a marginal winner that will put Lebeouf on a map that he'll own by summer's end.