Who would have thought that in 2011 we would have a movie that throws us back to classics such as Run Lola Run and 12 Monkeys. Both movies deal very well with the issues of time, time travel and the philosophical issues that come with it (time travel) in a groundbreaking way. That’s what Source Code does too and builds on that legacy.
A clever and demanding movie directed by the man who made the movie Moon, Duncan Jones. This film is both challenging, intelligent and engaging. Yes, Hollywood blockbusters sometimes do cater for the thinking man and Source Code does so in spades without skimping on the action or an engaging story.
The last films with sci-fi tendencies to have all these ingredients in one - and they worked beautifully - were the Matrix and Inception. Whilst Source Code is not as showy as the Matrix nor does it have the budget of Inception, it delivers the goods.
Just don’t go expecting people to be dodging bullets - Source Code is more in the mould of Blade Runner where the sci-fi-ness of the film is not the driving force. One could actually mistake Source Code for a low key action/drama movie instead of a sci-fi movie. If there’s one movie to see in 2011, Source Code ranks up there.
The plot seems simple enough: a man needs to relieve the same 8 minutes to find the identity of a bomber and prevent a catastrophe from taking place but like every good movie, the plot gets more complicated but not convoluted as the story progresses.
Our hero meets engaging characters who are easy to love such as Michelle Mongahan’s Christina - characters who ask big theological and ideological questions like Jeffrey Wright’s D.Rutledge - they make one think way after the movie is over .
But above all it's about the character Colder Stevens - what he goes through, how he understands it and the choices he makes. Colder is an every man caught in an impossible situation which is what makes this movie tick, more than the special effects or philosophical questions it raises .
Jake Gyllenhall embodies this character so well one forgets that the last time we saw him on the the big screen, he was playing a Persian prince with somewhat dodgy English accent.
Source code is one of those movies where it's nice to watch with as little info about it as possible. Duncan Jones has to be applauded for taking Moon’s low-keyness into Source code 'cause this could have easily been a movie about special effects and computer screens doing all sorts of wizardry - in other words another TimeCop movie minus Jean Claude van Damme set in our times.
Yet this film is skillfully crafted and focuses on the character and their journey which rewards the audience in abundance. Source Code is one of the best films I’ve had the pleasure to see in 2011. Do yourself a favour and check it out. Like the first Matrix no one can be told what the Source Code is - you have to experience it for yourself.