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Source Code
was a unique movie.
It was released at
the perfect time
theatrically. It
didn’t get talked
about because it was
over the top good,
(it is great by the
way) but it got
talked about because
there weren’t a lot
of other movies
released
theatrically at the
same time as it was,
and thus it received
a decent amount of
buzz. That buzz was
partially warranted,
that’s because
Duncan Jones’
Moon
follow-up starring
Jake Gyllenhaal is
great sci-fi flick
that crosses action,
drama, thriller, and
suspense. I wouldn’t
say the movie is
indefinable, but
it’s definable in
multiple ways.
Colter Stevens is a
helicopter pilot in
Afghanistan, or at
least he thinks he
is. He expects to
wake up in his
typical
tent/barracks in
Afghanistan, but
instead he woke up
in a 10x10 pod
that’s a time
traveling device.
Through the miracle
of technology, the
government has come
up with a
device/theory called
Source Code that
allows specifically
chosen agents to
travel back in time
to an exact moment,
giving them eight
minutes to relive
the past. Stevens is
a special candidate
that can travel with
Source Code and his
mission is to take
on the role of Sean
Spencer on a train
with an acquaintance
by the name of
Christina Warren
(Michelle Monaghan.)
He gets eight
minutes on the train
to figure out who’s
behind the terrorist
attack behind it’s
explosion so he can
protect the U.S.
against future
terror plots.
Source Code
is great for a
couple of reasons.
One being that
Duncan Jones avoided
all of the typical
time travel clichés
that we’ve seen in
every time travel
movie ever. I
thought such trivial
thoughts were
unavoidable, but
Jones, Gyllenhaal
and co. managed to
do that with
Source Code.
Plus, inside of
Source Code,
Gyllenhaul is
brilliant. He has to
act through fear,
anger, joy, and tons
of other emotions in
a role like no other
he’s ever played.
He’s great here and
so is his co-star
Michelle Monaghan is
too. It’s not just
the acting that’s
good with this movie
though, it’s that it
covers a ton of
different genres;
science-fiction,
action, suspense,
thriller, drama,
mystery, and so on.
It has a little bit
of something for
everyone. It’s not
the perfect movie
for everyone, but
it’s a good movie
for everyone and
that’s pretty rare.
Source Code
doesn’t really have
a weak spot in its
story or with Duncan
Jones’ directing,
but there are some
time and story
constraints. It
would have been cool
to get some more
elaborations to what
Source Code was
exactly at the
beginning of the
movie, but I’m not
totally sure that it
would have worked
with the story.
Basically it would
have been cool if
they set things up
instead of diving
right in.
As
far as extras go,
Source Code
is fairly weak. It
has a commentary
track to go along
with the main
feature and it also
has the
Access/Summit Home
Entertainment
feature where they
go through picture
and
picture/interviews
and special features
while you’re
watching the main
feature. It’s not
bad, but it’s not
amazing either. It
would have been
slightly cooler if
they would have had
some time travel
special features of
some kind instead of
just a commentary
and an access
feature, but it is
what it is.
Source Code
is a great movie.
You can honestly say
that Duncan Jones
couldn’t have done
anything better than
what he did here. It
doesn’t have a ton
of star power to it
other than
Gyllenhaal, but
really that’s all it
needs because he
gives such a great
performance. This
movie is unique and
original and that’s
what makes it
enjoyable. You’ll
come away from this
one satisfied.
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