Review: ‘Panic Room’ is a great movie to watch at home

Julia Williams, News Editor

The movie Panic Room was released on March 18, 2002 and has been a favorite of mine after seeing it with my family in middle school. This film can be described as an amazing and suspenseful thriller that keeps the viewer guessing.

The movie takes place in a mansion in New York, which seems pretty basic for any classic thriller. However, the Jodi Foster and Kristen Stewart mother-daughter duo makes for a great twist.

This film will have you shouting advice at your television as you watch the two ladies in the panic room with three burglars in the house while still being completely apart from them. The main burglar is played by Forest Whitaker and is the “glorified handyman” throughout the film.

Although he may seem like just a handyman, you soon find out that he is the mastermind behind the entire concept of the panic room.

The three burglars are trying to get money from the panic room with the ladies locked inside. The women are unaware of the reasons behind the burglary, but they do know that the men will not leave without whatever they are hunting for.

Jodi Foster plays the gutsy, intelligent mother Meg, who has recently gone through a divorce. Her teenage daughter, Sarah, is played by Kristen Stewart.  Sarah is not your average teenager. She, too, is gutsy and intelligent, and despite a medical condition, is a huge help to her mother. Meg is motivated by her daughter to try and get them to safety, but the burglars have other plans.

All in all, Panic Room can be labeled as a well-above-average thriller and a must-see. The film is suspenseful and dramatic but still realistic. The film makes you feel like you are in the home with the burglars, and in the panic room as well.