Posts tagged Source Code
In a summer full of worn-out franchise films, superhero flicks and sequels, Source Code is the equivalent of finding fish amidst the beef and chicken in your fridge. It can be quite refreshing. If you’re into that sort of thing. It is most certainly an acquired taste.
Source Code mixes things up in a pleasant way. It follows your standard Sci-Fi Time Crime format: helicopter pilot Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal; probably the only name you’ll recognize) is inserted into the mysterious titular “source code,” a program that allows users to relive an eight minute window in the memory of a specific subject. The film does a good job of explaining the concept without overdoing it: convincing us that this is viable but not requiring us to work through every piece of theory involved. It deviates from the formula, however, in constantly reminding us that there is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY to change the course of events depicted. For some reason, Stevens can do things differently every time in. I suppose small holes in theory are preferable to watching the same eight minute scene fifteen times.
If this movie has a flaw, that’s the main one. The acting is passable rather than phenomenal but doesn’t really get in the way. The only real problem is that we have to endure the classic “this is going to happen every time” intro sequence every time Stevens is reinserted into the Source Code. It feels a bit cliche to watch him say and do the same few things every time, but the sequence is blessedly short and seems to be creatively cut every time. The real magic, however works in what we will call the “Present.”
As the film progresses, we see more and more of the mysterious Beleaguered Castle organization and their operation as Stevens interacts with them. These scenes are wonderfully cut: driving us into the confusion Stevens experiences as a result of the Source Code but guiding us through his startling revelations as he discovers more and more of the truth. It might not be the most original, but it carries enough fresh ideas and solid thought to keep the audience engaged. It’s short, sweet, and just cool enough. It’s a shame it flew under the radar so long, but it seems Gyllenhaal is cursed with Secret Awesomeness (see Prince of Persia).
For breaking some fresh ground in an old field, I give Source Code an 8.5 out of 10.
Written by: Steven Jones
