Source Code Movie Review
Source Code Movie Review
Director: Duncan Jones, Writer: Ben Ripley, Actors: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright
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Director Duncan Jones (christened Zowie Bowie) made quite an impression on the sci-fi (and hence, horror) film-fan community a year or so back with Moon, which was essentially his low-frills homage to bleak and scary classics like Solaris and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Naturally, his follow-up was highly anticipated… and naturally, some might be let down.
I was slightly less-than-awed only because of my own expectations in regard to Jones and hopes for an even darker tale — but as a standalone thriller, the zippy, quippy Source Code is perfectly serviceable and absolutely enjoyable. Jones did not write this script, but he did a good job of infusing at least a little of his own sensibility into some of the vibe and visuals (those who've seen Moon will draw their own comparisons — there is definitely the "Major Tom" connection in both movies).
Jake Gyllenhaal plays… well, he's not sure who he is. But let's call him Colter Stevens. Colter is introduced as he's waking up inside a body which he does not recognize as his own in the mirror's reflection, and the "Quantum Leap" games begin (in fact, Scott Bakula, the star of that popular old TV series, has a little cameo in Source Code: score one for the geeks). Colter is on a moving train, sitting across from a delightful young woman he doesn't know — but she knows him.
Her name is Christina (Michelle Monaghan), and she and Colter do know each other, but "not well". And speaking of which, things are not going well on the train, either. It blows up within 8 minutes of Colter coming into consciousness. Ala Groundhog Day, he winds up having to relive those fatal moments over and over again until he — and some secret government computer lab rats (one of which is the always amazing Vera Farmiga) — can catch the culprit and save the day (or maybe the world… all that stuff is pretty nebulously posited. The story is more about Colter's inner turmoil and his abject confusion in regard to this computer-chip time-trip).
There's some nifty cinematography in Source Code (especially in the aerials, and sweeping low angles on the train tracks), and the CGI is fine, but an overriding, aggressive music score takes away from the visuals, as does some rather egregious product placement for Dunkin Donuts ("Duncan" donuts?). It's dexterously directed to a point, but some scripting limitations make Source Code feel repetitive just beyond the halfway point. Jones seems more comfy in the slow burn milieu of Moon than he does with the Hollywood thriller, but the gap will only be noticeable by those familiar with both films. Source Code is definitely more exciting, by far and away, than its box office foes (namely, The Adjustment Bureau).
The protag's angsty charm is well-reflected and I do like Gyllenhaal (have been a fan since his paranoid performance in Donnie Darko) — but Source Code really is ladies' choice. Farmiga is mesmerizing as ever, and Monaghan steals most of the scenes she's in. Even the smaller roles by women overshadow those played by their male counterparts.
When it comes to blood and gore, there is a fair amount for PG-13. Limbs torn apart by explosion aren't overdone, but there are some chilling reveals in the computer lab, as well as (another) effective aerial shot of oozing bodies lying on the pavement of a lonely parking lot.
Source Code succeeds as a solid romantic thriller with an upbeat ending (there is a perfect fade-to-black moment a little earlier on, but no doubt some studio suit nixed insisted on an epilogue). However, those looking for another Moon might be better off waiting for the disc.
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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson