What's so great about Shia?

Shia LaBeouf is definitely on a roll - four blockbusters in a row: Disturbia, Transformers, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skill, and now Eagle Eye, which debuted at number one last weekend at the box office. LaBeouf certainly has a great agent and is getting good advice; all four films have done big box office, and have quickly elevated LaBeouf to the A-list.

But I have to ask the question: what is so great about Shia LaBeouf? He definitely has screen presence, and in each of the four films I mentioned, he has done a serviceable job in his respective roles, but one thing is becoming increasingly clear when I watch Shia LaBeouf on film - he plays the same role in EVERY film. In Disturbia, Transformers and Indiana Jones 4, he plays a likable but wayward teenager who gets caught up in adventures that reform him, while Eagle Eye gives him a chance to play a somewhat older character. But I haven't seen much range in LaBeouf's acting. His performance in Indiana Jones 4 started promisingly, as he introduced the character as a rebellious, mouthy young punk, but either Spielberg or the screenwriters quickly diluted the bad-ass of LaBeouf's character, resulting in his character of Mutt Williams turning into a stock Shia LeBeouf character.

I realize there are actors who are continually cast in films to play their typical character, like Sly Stallone, Jason Stratham, even Woody Allen, but LaBeouf has been touted as the next big thing, but so far I find his acting passable and serviceable, but he hasn't dazzled me. Perhaps soon he will find a role that will really challenge him, and show us a side of him we haven't seen before. Perhaps playing a drug addict like Anne Hathaway does in the upcoming Rachel Getting Married, or getting his hands dirty playing a villain, will demonstrate why Shia LaBeouf is the next big thing. But so far, I'm not convinced.