Source Code - Review

Hey look! Its another movie trying to capitalize on the success of Inception! That's the thing with the Science Fiction genre, whenever you have one hugely successful and original sci-fi movie, what usually follows is a stream of inferior knock-offs. First was The Adjustment Bureau and now its Source Code. To be fair though, The Adjustment Bureau was actually not that bad... it was at least a decent action-thriller. Source Code however... actually the same could probably be said for this one too.

The movie stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a US Army pilot named Colter Stevens originally stationed in Afghanistan. What seems to be out of nowhere, Stevens suddenly wakes up on a passenger train in Chicago... only he's not himself but rather in the body of an individual named Sean Fentress. Now totally unaware of why his identity has changed and how he suddenly transporter from Afghanistan to Chicago, a bomb on the train explodes only 8 minutes after he arrives. Stevens then wakes up in a narrow capsule, where it is revealed that he was the subject for a program called Source Code, a simulator that allows Stevens mind to be transferred into the mind of one of the passengers on the aforementioned doomed train. He was chosen for the project with the hopes of being able to find the train bomber and preventing any future attacks.

I know that seems like I might have spoiled quite a bit... but don't worry, that's all revealed within the first 10 minutes. If I do ever mention spoilers or important plot reveals, I'll make sure to give plenty of notice.

Source Code is a movie that I didn't think I would have any difficulty reviewing, but to be honest, its been a bit of a challenge. Its not like Sucker Punch, that was a movie so abstract and bizarre that it takes a while to process. No, Source Code is actually quite the opposite... its just so straightforward that trying to find any creative insights into about it is a big challenge. On the surface, there's not much that is inherently awful about it, nor is there anything that is particularly great about it. Well, I'll give it a try...

The movie boasts a really good cast, most of whom were nominated for an Oscar at one point. Jake Gyllenhaal does his usual good job in the lead role as Captain Stevens. Nothing much to say about it other than just that... he's good. There is also Up In The Air's Vera Farmiga as Goodwin, one of the Source Code operators. She spent a majority of the time talking to Gyllenhaal via a webcam, making this one of the rare occasions you'll see an actor spending most of the movie staring into the camera. She does a good job, nothing really to complain about. There is also Michelle Monaghan as Christine, one of the train passengers and love interest to Gyllenhaal. Despite the fact that her character was there only to serve as the obligatory romance, she holds her own quite well too. Finally, I have to mention Jeffrey Wright (Felix Leiter in the last two 007 movies) as the Source Code inventor Dr. Rutledge. He does a bang-up job too, I'm kind of surprised he isn't more famous than he is. Wright is a very talented actor, I hope to see him tackle some more serious roles in the near future.

The script works well for the most part... at least in the first two acts. The concept certainly has some promise, even if it is a bit hokey. The opening does a good job setting up the story and made me legitimately interested in what would follow. The action is well done, the pacing is decent, there are a few decent twists along the way, and the actors hold the story together. The third act is when it falls apart. The last ten minutes or so felt really forced and contrived, not to mention the ending was so stupid that it almost killed the movie. We're talking really dumb and outlandish, like I couldn't believe what I was watching. I couldn't help but feel like the screenwriters were trying to attach some kind of thought-provoking message, but it wasn't really working. It's a fair attempt, but I've seen similar concepts done much better. I'll say this... it's definitely no Inception.

If you go into Source Code expecting a decent action-thriller, you'll probably leave somewhat satisfied. The suspense is far from nail-biting, but it was enough to hold my attention. The film is well shot, some decent editing, and you get to see a train blow up over and over again. When you get down to it, it's the actors who really sell the movie. None of the performances are by any means Oscar-worthy or anything like that, but they get the job done and kept the movie entertaining. I should also mention that comedian Russell Peters has a supporting role as... a comedian. Hey, whatever works.

There really isn't much more to say about Source Code. There's nothing overly bad about it, but you'll probably not going to come out of the theater amazed of anything like that. Like The Adjustment Bureau, it's a decent sci-fi thriller... nothing more, nothing less.

My Score: 3 out of 5!